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Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has revealed when he began courting Jurgen Klopp over joining the organisation.

By now, most Liverpool fans know that the former boss will start a new role at the Red Bull group in 2025.

The 57-year-old will assume his position on January 1, 2025, overseeing Red Bull’s international network of football clubs, including RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg, and New York Red Bulls.

While not involved in day-to-day operations, Klopp will focus on developing the overall football strategy, supporting sports directors, and assisting with scouting and coaching development.

Red Bull described it as a “strategic role” that would leverage Klopp’s “extensive network” to push their football philosophy forward.

However, while  Red Bull are excited to have hired Klopp, the process that brought him to the organization took a long while.

This is according to Red Bull’s CEO Oliver Mintzlaff, who claims that talks with Klopp began long before his Liverpool departure.

What Red Bull CEO said about Jurgen Klopp talks

According to Mintzlaff, although it was easy to agree on contract terms with Klopp, convincing him to accept the role took a lot of convincing and lasted over a year and a half before Klopp departed Liverpool.

“It took a long time,” Mintzlaff told BILD.

“It was a very, very long process.

The first idea was more than two years ago, when I first spoke to Jurgen about it.

He said: ‘I think that’s great, I think that’s impressive.’ Not just what’s happening in football, but also the sports Red Bull is involved in, how much is being done for young talent.

“That always interested him and excited him.

So we always kept in touch, and I didn’t let up.

“But at some point, he told me that, ‘I was extending my stay in Liverpool’, and that was, of course, a disappointment for me because that little door was then closed.

“When he announced his departure, we met at his place in Liverpool a few months later, and I started again with my topic and told him a lot of things where I think we could use him and that it would be an exciting task for him.

“And then he said: ‘All right, let’s do it.’ I had to slap myself in the face?

Then he agreed, and I quickly drew up the contracts.”

Read more: Jurgen Klopp first match in Red Bull role confirmed

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