According to The Times, Liverpool are set to step up talks with Jürgen Klopp over a new contract, after he indicated that he would be open to staying.
What’s the story?
Well, the German’s current terms expire in June 2024, and he said any decision over an extension would depend on whether he had the energy.
Now, it seems Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have received enough encouragement from the 54-year-old to accelerate contract talks.
In fact, The Athletic have since claimed that Klopp has already agreed to extend his contract until 2026, although we will await official confirmation.
Mike Gordon – President of FSG – was at Anfield last night to watch Liverpool record a 2-0 win over Villarreal, and sat just a few seats away from Klopp’s agent, Marc Kosicke.
Gordon is leading the negotiations, with Liverpool keen for Klopp to stay for as long as he feels comfortable on Merseyside.
It was Gordon who finalised Klopp’s last contract extension, which he signed in December 2019.
As things stand, the former Borussia Dortmund tactician has been at Anfield for nearly seven years, and has overseen 371 games in charge.
Remarkably, Klopp has won 232 of those clashes, with his side scoring 822 goals and averaging 2.08 points per game.
Liverpool relied on two men to keep Jürgen Klopp
Interestingly, The Times wrote that any decision from Klopp will be heavily influenced by Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz.
Interestingly, The Athletic add that both men have also decided to stay at Anfield as part of Klopp’s backroom staff until 2026.
Klopp has a very strong relationship with his assistants, and clearly, a lot depended on whether or not the pair were also up to the task of staying at Anfield.
Now, it’s frightening to think about what could be achieved.
Klopp has a number of young players who are already performing at an astonishing level, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate, while the likes of Luis Diaz, Andy Robertson, Alisson and Luis Diaz are also young in their own right.
There are also academy gems such as Oakley Cannonier, who Klopp is said to be a big fan of.
The Times believe Aurelien Tchouameni is a target, while a deal for 19-year-old Fulham wonderkid Fabio Carvalho is also lined up.
Liverpool are actually said to be in talks with Monaco over a deal for the 22-year-old Frenchman, with Real Madrid also keen.
If Klopp really is staying on board to help these players develop into another set of title winners, then he could go down as the greatest manager in Liverpool’s history.
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