Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he was never contacted by Bayern Munich to replace Jupp Heynckes, though the German insisted a move to the Bundesliga champions would have been complicated.
Former Borussia Dortmund boss Klopp was linked with Bayern before the Bavarians turned to Eintracht Frankfurt’s Niko Kovac to succeed head coach Heynckes in 2018-19.
Klopp enjoyed great success in Germany, having restored glory back to Dortmund after claiming Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012.
However, Klopp – who is preparing for a Champions League semi-final against Roma – said joining Bayern was never an option, with the 50-year-old contracted to Premier League giants Liverpool until 2022.
“It’s a fact that I never had any release clauses in my contracts,” Klopp told Sky Germany.
“If Bayern would have indeed been interested, independent of any decision I’d have made, it would have been a complicated transfer because I am under contract here for four more years, and Liverpool are not exactly unhappy with me. That’s why it makes total sense, they didn’t ask in the first place.”
Klopp added: “I can’t rule out that I will call it a day way before other coaches usually stop. I feel that it’s super intense, and I am not planning to die on the bench.
“I will definitely take a year off after Liverpool. That’s a clear agreement I have with my family. And from today’s point of view, I can’t rule out that I then say: ‘Well, that was a lot of fun…’”
On the prospect of returning to Dortmund, who he left in 2015, Klopp said: “I really don’t want to return because the time I had was good.
“I had a world-class time at Mainz and Dortmund. And it looks like I’ll return there one day, but it does not have to be as a coach.”
