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Astonishing report claims Klopp agreed Red Bull deal while in charge of Liverpool

Astonishing report claims Klopp agreed Red Bull deal while in charge of Liverpool

Sam Mandi-Ghomi 11 Oct 2024, 12:55 Last modified: 30 Oct 2024

The news that Jurgen Klopp is to become Red Bull’s Global Head of Soccer certainly turned some heads when it was reported on Wednesday.

The man who only left Liverpool five months ago, at the end of the last season, citing burnout, had said “there is nothing to say” about his future in football as recently as last week.

The German had recently been subject to heavy rumours surrounding the US men’s national team head coach role before it was given to Mauricio Pochettino. His name had also been mentioned as a potential replacement for Gareth Southgate in the England job.

But now, stunning claims are emerging that Klopp agreed to become Red Bull’s Global Head of Soccer back in 2022.

German tabloid

are reporting that Klopp attended a secret meeting with Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz in Austria back in September 2022. The report states that Mateschitz managed to convince Klopp to join Red Bull come the start of 2025.

Red Bull reject Klopp claims

These claims have subsequently been rejected by current Red Bull CEO of Corporate Projects and New Investments, Oliver Mintzlaff.

Sport1 report that Mintzlaff has claimed the reports are “without any basis and is a fairy tale”, continuing to say that, "As far as I know, Jürgen Klopp extended his contract with Liverpool FC in 2022."

Mintzlaff would be right in saying this, as Klopp extended his contract at Anfield in April 2022 through until 2026.

Jürgen Klopp will become Global Head of Soccer at Red Bull starting January 1, 2025.
“After almost 25 years on the sideline, I could not be more excited to get involved in a project like this. The role may have changed but my passion for football and the people who make the… pic.twitter.com/R1l7KHW7TY— Melissa Reddy (@MelissaReddy_) October 9, 2024

The conflicting reports create more confusion than clarification. The idea of Klopp agreeing to join Red Bull merely months after extending his contract with Liverpool seems out of character for the larger-than-life former manager.

With his comments in the summer that he is still too young to just enjoy retirement, however, it is more likely that the role presents an easy way to keep him involved with the game he loves whilst being less intense than management.

However, a deal like this emerging, being agreed to and announced over the course of the summer seems unlikely.

Austrian outlet Kurier report that Mateschitz tried to lure Klopp to RB Salzburg back in 2008 whilst he was coaching German club Mainz.

Whilst it may be years before we find out when this deal really came about, it is clear that Red Bull have actively wanted the Liverpool icon in their setup for a long time now.