Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said he does not have an exit clause in his contract, and that a move to become Bayern Munich’s manager would have been complicated even if both parties were interested.
The 50-year-old has managed Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and now Liverpool in an illustrious career that has seen him win two Bundesliga titles, a DFB Pokal and a pair of DFB Super Cups, along with managing in both a Europa League and Champions League final.
Klopp is a round away from repeating the latter this season, as he has the Reds in the Champions League semi-finals up against Serie A side Roma.
His long track record of success may have landed him on Bayern Munich’s managerial shortlist, though Klopp denied there was any contact with the Bundesliga champions, who have announced Niko Kovac as their manager for next season.
Furthermore, he said that it would have been difficult for him to leave Liverpool, even if there had been mutual interest.
"I've never had an exit clause in one of my contracts," Klopp told Sky Sports Germany. "If Bayern had really been interested, no matter what I would have done, this would have been a complicated move.
"I have a contract for four more years in Liverpool and the club are happy with me. That's why it makes total sense that they (Bayern) didn't try."
Another roadblock may well have been the fact Klopp intends to take a one-year break from managing when he is done at Anfield.
Klopp concedes that his intense personality not only made that break a required promise to his family, but also makes it unlikely that he would manage as long as the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
"It's possible that I will end my career a lot earlier than coaches usually do," he said. "It's very intense.
"I don't want to die on the coaching bench. After Liverpool I will for sure do a one-year break. That's a clear agreement with my family."
Klopp spent seven years with Mainz and seven years with Dortmund. And while he has fond memories of his time there, and hopes to perhaps return, he doesn’t plan to pull a Jupp Heynckes and come back as a manager.
"I don't really want to come back. That time was too good," Klopp said of his time in Mainz and Dortmund. "I won't work as a coach with the age of (Bayern Munich head coach) Jupp Heynckes. I admire what he is doing but I won't do that.
"I had a fantastic time in Mainz and Dortmund. Most likely I will go back there - but not necessarily as a coach."
