Bayern Munich legend Manuel Neuer believes Jurgen Klopp would be welcomed at the Allianz Arena with open arms.
The German will leave Liverpool at the end of the season after dropping a bombshell exit announcement last week. Since then, there has been plenty of speculation as to what Klopp’s next port of call could be.
A return to his homeland appears to be the most obvious route for Klopp, with the 56-year-old already ruling out him ever taking another job in England. And at a recent meeting with supporters, Bayern skipper Manuel Neuer was pressed on whether he could eventually see Klopp appointed at the club.
He believes Klopp would be an excellent option to become Bayern’s manager at some point, but potentially sees him taking over the German national team instead. As quoted by Bild, Neuer said: “I think it depends on him [Klopp].
“I don’t think FC Bayern has anything against that, because he’s a renowned, very good, experienced, tactically astute coach who has gained big respect from all footballers and athletes and I believe that he’s definitely a potential candidate who could work for Bayern at some point.
Jurgen Klopp's approach with Robert Lewandowski bodes well for Darwin Nunez“Whether he wants to do that is of course his business. Maybe he wants to take a break first. Maybe he no longer wants the day-to-day business - I can imagine him possibly being the national team coach one day. Of course, that mainly depends on him.”
A move to Bayern would be controversial for Klopp given his loyalties to Borussia Dortmund. He pipped the Bavarian giants to two Bundesliga titles before moving to Liverpool.
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Klopp previously revealed that he had rejected approaches from Bayern earlier in his Anfield career. He revealed: “I could have gone to Bayern a few times, I could have won more titles in my life, pretty sure I would say – a good chance at least.
“I didn’t do it. I had a contract here [at Liverpool] and I never did it. That’s completely fine. The world is not full of winners, the world is full of triers.
“And I try and sometimes I win with some other people together. I am happy with that. If we are all only happy when we are really winning, in the end, when your race finishes, what life would that be?”
Amid talk of a move for Klopp, Bayern have also been forced to respond to speculation about current boss Thomas Tuchel. The German giants released a statement disputing that the ex-Chelsea head coach had discussed a move to Barcelona at a recent fan event.
The Catalan giants will be on the hunt for a new manager themselves after club icon Xavi announced his decision to depart at the end of the current season. Tuchel ironically replaced Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, and then made a move to Bayern following spells with Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.