Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista has insisted the club will consider a leading European manager like Jürgen Klopp should current boss Filipe Luís depart.
Despite signing a contract extension with the Brazilian behemoths last December, ex-Chelsea defender and current Flamengo manager Luís has been linked with a move to Europe, and Baptista believes the club would be capable of attracting a heavyweight replacement—citing Lucas Paquetá’s recent move from West Ham United to Flamengo as precedent.
“Filipe isn’t thinking about Flamengo 10 years from now,” the Flamengo president told AS. “His career might continue at Flamengo, but it might not.
“Just as Filipe can consider Europe, why couldn’t Flamengo consider a European coach? If I can bring in Lucas Paquetá, why couldn’t I bring in Klopp?”
Klopp has been out of the management game since leaving Liverpool at the end of the 2023–24 season but has been regularly linked with top jobs since.
Real Madrid Touted With Jürgen Klopp Interest
Klopp is back in work, just not on the touchline. The legendary former Borussia Dortmund manager became Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer in January 2025—a move which drew ire and scrutiny due to the company’s ownership of multiple clubs across world football, something Klopp previously rallied against
There has been significant speculation linking Klopp with a return to management, with rumours having even circulated about Real Madrid’s interest in the talismanic 58-year-old.
Xabi Alonso’s departure as Madrid manager earlier this season has resulted in frequent links with Europe’s elite managers, including Klopp. However, for the moment, the club has put its trust in Álvaro Arbeloa, the former Real Madrid Castilla manager.
Klopp is considered one of the candidates for the managerial position in the future but whether he would be interested in moving to the Bernabéu remains to be seen.
Major Doubts Over Jürgen Klopp Touchline Comeback
Klopp admitted he’s not interested in returning to coaching as things stand, but he also has refused to rule out a possible comeback in the future.
“I love what I do now,” Klopp revealed last October. “I don’t miss coaching. I don’t. I do coach but it’s just different, it’s not players.
“I don’t miss it. I don't miss standing in the rain for two-and-a-half or three hours. I also don’t miss going to press conferences three times a week. Having 10 or 12 interviews a week, I don’t miss that. I don’t. I don’t miss being in the dressing room. I coached around 1,080 games so I was in the dressing room very, very often.
“I don’t want to die in the dressing room. It’s these kind of things. I’m 58. From your perspective that might be old, but from other perspectives, it’s not that old.
“That means I could make a decision in a few years. I don’t know. Do I have to make a decision today? I will not coach again, but thank God I do not have to do that, I can just see what the future brings.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jurgen Klopp Offered Head-Turning Managerial Return at South American Giant.
