Xabi Alonso's 'secret agreement' amid Jurgen Klopp speculation

Talk of interest in Jurgen Klopp for the German national team manager's job has put Liverpool fans on alert.

Hansi Flick (incredibly) became the first person to be sacked as Germany boss since the role was created in 1926, after his side's 4-1 friendly defeat against Japan.

Germany have now suffered defeat in four of their last five outings, while the four-time World Cup winners did not make it out of the group stage in Qatar last winter.

Rudi Voller will take temporary charge of the national team, though early reports claim that Klopp is on the DFB's (the German FA) wish list to succeed Flick.

Earlier this summer, Klopp didn't rule our the possibility of one day managing the German team, while calling the post a 'great honour'.

90min reports that the DFB would even give the option of allowing Klopp to complete the season at Liverpool before taking on the role full time.

While it seems unlikely that Klopp, who signed a contract extension at Liverpool until 2026, would be ready to ditch Anfield prematurely, it has got fans thinking about who will eventually replace the Reds' legendary manager when the time comes.

One name regularly touted as a future Liverpool boss is Xabi Alonso.

The 41-year-old Spaniard, who made over 200 appearances for the Reds between 2004 and 2009, is currently the head coach at Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, where he has impressed.

Since taking over in 2022, Alonso has lifted a relegation-threatened team to the semi-finals of the Europa League and was even awarded with a contract extension until 2026 earlier this summer.

However, according to Sport Bild (via GFNG), that contract contains a 'secret agreement' that would allow Alonso to leave his role in Germany for another job, if a suitable offer is presented, without breaking contract.

Though it seems this agreement is hardly 'secret', it is fairly standard practice and means that, in essence, a team like Liverpool would be met with little resistance if they identified Alonso as the man to replace Klopp before 2026.

Prior to his work with Leverkusen, Alonso – who was part of Rafa Benitez's 2005 Champions League winning Liverpool side – began his coaching career with Real Madrid Under-14s and later took over Real Sociedad B, with whom he won promotion to Spain's Segunda Division.