Liverpool are set to open talks with Jurgen Klopp over a new contract at Anfield, GOAL can confirm.
The Reds boss’ current deal is set to expire in 2024, but he has indicated that he would be willing to commit to fresh terms, and discussions are now ongoing over a possible two-year contract extension that will see him remain at Anfield until 2026.
Mike Gordon, the president of Fenway Sports Group, was at Anfield for last night’s Champions League semi-final with Villarreal, together with Marc Kosicke, Klopp’s agent, and talks are expected to accelerate quickly in the coming days.
What is Klopp’s situation at Liverpool?
Klopp has repeatedly said he will leave Liverpool when his contract expires in the summer of 2024.
But it is understood that his stance has softened significantly in recent months, and Liverpool now believe they will be able to convince him to extend his seven-year association with the club.
Klopp joined the Reds in October 2015 and has since established them as one of the premier teams in world football.
He won the Champions League, European Super Cup and Club World Cup in 2019 and followed that up with the Premier League in 2020, Liverpool’s first league title in 30 years.
This season, they are on course for an unprecedented quadruple. They won the Carabao Cup in February and as it stands are still in with a chance of the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup, where they face Chelsea in next month’s final.
Liverpool’s hierarchy regard him as the perfect manager to lead the club forward, and are ready to move heaven and earth to keep him.
Klopp, for his part, is happy and settled on Merseyside. He has a strong relationship with the club’s owners, Gordon in particular, and is enthused by the direction in which the club is heading, with Julian Ward set to take over from Michael Edwards as sporting director this summer.
What could it mean for Liverpool?
Keeping Klopp beyond 2024 will be seen as a huge boost to the club, and its supporters.
It may also influence and inform decisions from a number of key players over new contracts. Mohamed Salah, for example, is out of contract at the end of next season and is yet to renew. Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s deal will also expire in 2023, while James Milner’s is up at the end of this campaign.
Beyond that, Liverpool will look to continue the smart recruitment which has underpinned their rise under Klopp. Signings such as Diogo Jota, Ibrahima Konate, Luis Diaz, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho, who will arrive from Fulham in the summer, have been made with the long-term in mind, and the Reds are likely to target at least two first-team purchases in the summer window.