City are eyeing Guardiola, despite Klopp's Dortmund departure
Football
By
Mirror
| Apr 18, 2015
Manchester City will have to fight Napoli if they want to land Jurgen Klopp as their next boss.
Klopp revealed on Wednesday that he will leave Bundesliga heavyweights Borussia Dortmund at the end of this season, and bookmakers have slashed the odds on him taking over at the Etihad.
Pep Guardiola remains the top target, and while he has stated his desire to stay at Bayern Munich for one more season, outgoing champions City believe they can lure him to Manchester this summer.
But Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis is searching for a new coach with Rafa Benitez leaving his Italian club in the summer, and he confirmed his admiration for the German.
De Laurentiis said: “At the time I appointed Rafa Benitez I spoke to Klopp. He told me he was under contract with Dortmund until 2016 which is why we couldn’t sign him as manager then.”
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Klopp has spoken in the past of his hope to ply his trade in England but has also confirmed the Napoli approach and what it meant to him.
He said: “Yes, it would be a joy to work at the stadium where Diego Maradona was such a star.”
Real Madrid's former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is also on the Blues' radar, but Klopp says he has no plans to take time off from football, and is keen for the chance to prove himself in England.
“If my English is better and better and better, then I understand people from Liverpool and Manchester, then maybe. If somebody asks me, I will come to England,” he has said.
As it was revealed he was quitting the club where he won two Bundesliga titles and reached a Champions League final, Klopp insisted: “It’s not that I’m tired. I’ve not had contact with another club, but don’t plan to take a sabbatical.
“I always said, in that moment where I believe I am not the perfect coach anymore for this extraordinary club, I will say so.
"I really think the decision is the right one. This club deserves to be coached from the 100% right manager. I chose this time to announce it because in the last few years some player decisions were made late, and there was no time to react.”