Klopp’s agent Marc Kosicke was in the news at the start of the week for his comments about the former Liverpool boss, including claims he had snubbed Man United and Chelsea.
He also said that in his interview with Transfer market that Bayern came “very close” to signing Klopp twice, first in 2008 and later in 2019 when he was at Anfield.
“Bayern came very close to signing us twice,” Kosicke claimed.
“In 2008, Uli Hoeness wanted Jurgen, but Karl-Heinz Rummenigge wanted Jurgen Klinsmann.
“And after Niko Kovac (who left Bayern in November 2019), when Jurgen was at Liverpool, they approached us again.
“Nobody thought it would be so successful with Hansi Flick. There just wasn’t the right momentum.”
The timing of the second approach coincided with the height of Klopp’s success at Liverpool, as his team had won the Champions League in June 2019, quickly followed by the Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
Liverpool also had a commanding 11-point lead at the top of the table at the end of November, clinching the title in record time despite the COVID lockdown.
The thought of Klopp making the move to Liverpool for Bayern at that point would have been unthinkable, as it turned out, as he spoke easily about honoring the deals he signed.
He was under contract with Liverpool at the time, having signed a six-year contract in 2016, which he further extended until 2026 in 2022, although he was set to leave before the end of that contract.
Klopp admitted in 2022, Bayern had made repeated attempts to lure him to the Allianz, but the journey at Anfield was more attractive than the chance of “more titles” if he left.
It remains to be seen whether Bayern will ever realize Klopp’s vision in their dugout, but that would first require him being lured back into management, which Kosicke doesn’t see happening at the moment as he is “very happy” at Red Bull.
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