Jurgen Klopp agent rubbishes Liverpool exit talk amid Germany links

Jurgen Klopp's agent has played down speculation of the Liverpool manager leaving his post at Anfield to take charge of the Germany national team.

Die Mannschaft's current boss Hansi Flick has come under intense scrutiny as his team have endured a dismal run of form over the last 15 months, winning just four of their last 16 games in all competitions.

The four-time World Cup winners were surprisingly eliminated in the group stage of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, before finishing third in their UEFA Nations League group after winning only one of their six matches.

Germany have since failed to win any of their three friendly fixtures during this month's international break, with a 3-3 draw with Ukraine followed by successive defeats without scoring against Poland and Colombia.

Only Erich Ribbeck, who won only 10 of his 24 matches in charge between 1998 and 2000, has a worse record as Germany manager than Flick, and the German FA are believed to be considering his long-term future.

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German news outlet Bild claims that the appointment of Klopp would be the "premium solution" to resolve the national team's woes should they decide to part ways with Flick.

However, Klopp's agent Mark Kosicke has insisted that the 56-year-old possesses a "long-term contract" at Liverpool, which expires in June 2026, and has no intention of leaving Anfield.

Speaking to Bild, Kosicke said: "Jurgen has a long-term contract with the LFC and the DFB has a national coach, so it's not an issue for us."

However, according to The Mirror, Klopp has a secret exit clause in his contract that allows him to call time on his Liverpool career when he pleases and facilitate himself and his family back to his native Germany.

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Klopp acknowledged before the appointment of Flick in 2021 that it would be a "great honour" to manage the German national team at some stage in his career, but he has insisted that he remains focused on his current job at Liverpool and intends to fulfil his contract.

"I have an important role here at Liverpool," Klopp told Bild. "There is no way to say, 'oh, national coach, that would be an interesting job. That would be a great honour without question, but the timing is not right. I can't."

Klopp has won 60% of his 433 games in charge of Liverpool since taking over in October 2015 and has won seven trophies including the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and EFL Cup.

However, the German endured a difficult trophyless 2022-23 campaign which saw the Reds finish fifth in the Premier League, failing to qualify for next season's Champions League.