After preliminary talks, the final details are now being finalized. The President of the German Football Association (DFB), Bernd Neuendorf, and the CEO of the Bundesliga, Hans Joakim Vatzke, have traveled to New York to meet with Jurgen Klopp and finalize the agreement with the future coach of the German national team.
Bernd Neuendorf and Hans Joakim Vatzke will hold talks with Jurgen Klopp this weekend, while Oliver Mintzlaf, the head of Red Bull, will also arrive in the US early next week. Klopp will stay in New York for the entire last week as an analyst for MagentaTV. Only after returning to Germany is he expected to sign a four-year contract with the DFB. In preliminary talks, the German Football Association and Red Bull have agreed that the DFB will not pay compensation to the coach, who has a contract with the company until 2029, while Klopp will continue to remain a brand ambassador.
The fans' association reacted with criticism, with spokesman Thomas Kösen calling it "another capitulation to capital". However, it is clear that this criticism will not influence the decision. The DFB has chosen Klopp as its preferred candidate and the 59-year-old himself is ready to take over the national team. The solution reached is also a financial relief for the federation.
The reason is that the multi-million euro termination fee of his predecessor, Julian Nagelsmann, as well as the losses caused by the early elimination from the World Cup, have created a significant budget shortfall. After signing the contract, which is expected to take place in July, Klopp will have some time to adapt. His first match as Germany coach will take place at the end of September in the Nations League.
Germany are in a group with the Netherlands, Greece and Serbia. Klopp's debut on the national team bench will be on September 24, in a transfer to the Netherlands. The draw for the Euro 2028 qualifiers will be held in December in Belfast. It is precisely those qualifiers, which begin in March 2027, that will constitute Jurgen Klopp's first major challenge as coach of the German national team.
