Borussia Dortmund are reportedly looking to bring former manager Jurgen Klopp back to the club following his departure from Liverpool.
Klopp spent seven years in charge of Dortmund, guiding them to two Bundesliga title wins and the 2013 Champions League final. Since his departure in 2015, Dortmund have not hit those same heights, with Bayern Munich dominating until Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen won the league this year.
Klopp, meanwhile, has guided Liverpool to a first-ever Premier League title as well as Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Super Cup and Club World Cup wins since his departure from Dortmund.
However, after almost nine years at Anfield, Klopp is set to leave the club at the end of the season as he is “running out of energy.” The 56-year-old plans to take a long break from football and has stated he “will not manage a club or country for at least a year.”
According to a reports, Dortmund are targeting Klopp for a return to the club as their head of football in 2025 The report states that ‘there is increasing talk’ at Dortmund about the move.
However, it notes that the club has brought back several key figures from the successful Klopp era and that it has ‘prevented the club from progressing’. Klopp has previously rejected an approach to return, having been offered the manager’s job again in May 2018.
In a biography about long-time Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke, Klopp revealed: “At some point, my phone rang while I was on the plane and Aki [Watzke] was on it: ‘Jurgen, you have to come back’. I laughed, I thought he was kidding”.
“‘Are you stupid, have you been drinking? How do you get that idea, I have a few more years in Liverpool’. I do not know how serious he was at that moment. But I realised that he wanted me to be more willing to respond.”
Klopp also added that he does not believe a return is “very likely to happen”, but did not close the door on the idea entirely. He added: “As a rescuer at a time of need if the club really needs my help, why should I not do it? It’s very nice that I even have the opportunity. But I do not think it’s very likely to happen.”