Jurgen Klopp has reportedly reached an agreement in principle to become the new head coach of Germany's men's national football team, a move that would see him succeed Julian Nagelsmann.
Klopp, who has been working as a pundit for German television during the World Cup, has been repeatedly linked with a return to club management since stepping down from his role at Liverpool. Reports in March connecting him with Real Madrid were dismissed by Klopp as "all nonsense."
During his tenure at Liverpool, Klopp led the club to seven major trophies, including the Premier League title in the 2019-20 season and the Champions League in 2019. Prior to his success in England, he guided Borussia Dortmund to two Bundesliga titles between 2008 and 2015 and previously managed Mainz 05 for seven years. Watzke, who worked closely with Klopp at Dortmund as chief executive, is thought to have played a key role in facilitating swift negotiations.
The German national team is seeking to recover from a disappointing World Cup performance, where they were eliminated in the round of 32 after losing to Paraguay on penalties. This result continued a trend of underperformance in major tournaments. Following Joachim Löw's departure after Germany's fourth World Cup victory in 2014, the team failed to advance past the group stage in both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, with Hansi Flick at the helm for the latter campaign.
Nagelsmann took over from Flick in September 2023, initially with a contract set to conclude after Euro 2024, which Germany hosted. Under his leadership, the team reached the quarter-finals of that tournament before being defeated in extra time by eventual champions Spain. Nagelsmann's contract was subsequently extended, but he stepped down after his second major tournament with the national side.