• Premier League

Klopp tells United Dortmund bond is 'unbreakable'

ESPN staff
April 22, 2014
Klopp commits to Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund are ready to reject any approach from Manchester United for their manager Juergen Klopp.

The coveted manager will stay at the club "until 2018 - no ifs and buts", they insisted to ESPN after David Moyes was sacked on Tuesday.

Similarly, Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola also laughed off speculation when asked about the United job ahead of his side's Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

The managers to restore United's pride

Louis van Gaal will be a free agent after the World Cup © Getty Images
  • Borussia Dortmund may be confident of keeping Jurgen Klopp as their manager but their resolve may well be tested by Manchester United. The German is among the front runners to replace David Moyes at Old Trafford with Louis van Gaal and Ryan Giggs also contenders.
  • Find out why Klopp would be a popular choice among fans and in the United boardroom here

But Klopp, clearly flattered by the reported interest from United, has also claimed he would not break the contract he has at Dortmund which has four years to run.

He told The Guardian: "United are a great club and I feel very familiar with their wonderful fans. But my commitment to Borussia Dortmund and the people is not breakable."

On Monday, when news emerged that Moyes was about to be sacked, Klopp was linked as a priority target for those in charge at Old Trafford.

The Bundesliga club are adamant that he is going nowhere. "Juergen Klopp already dismissed rumours linking him to Barcelona on our official homepage on Saturday. He will stay until 2018 - no ifs and buts," Dortmund director of communications Sascha Fligge told ESPN on Tuesday morning.

Klopp, who has also been named a possible Gerardo Martino replacement at the Nou Camp, was quoted as saying: "No one needs to worry. We are all still a bit in love with this club and the way things are handled here."

The former FSV Mainz coach extended his contract until 2018 in October, and, at the weekend, guided Dortmund to qualification for the Champions League for the fourth successive season, a feat unprecedented in the club's history.

Before renewing his deal at Dortmund, Klopp was linked to the United job as a possible successor for Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 and for Moyes, once his grip on power at Old Trafford started to look tenuous and another successful season at Dortmund revived interest in the 46 year old.

However, Borussia Dortmund are bullish about holding their manager to his contract. "We've already had this last year, but that's final, even if some people don't want to believe it," Fligge said.

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