German Jürgen Klopp, the former head coach of English club Liverpool, has entered the list of candidates to coach Al-Ittihad team in the upcoming period, according to Saudi press reports.

The Saudi newspaper “Al-Riyadiyah” reported that the management of Al-Ittihad club company has started moves to contract a new coach, placing German Jürgen Klopp, former Liverpool coach, at the top of its options.

This step comes after the dismissal of French coach Laurent Blanc due to declining results, as the management opened negotiation channels with major coaching names on the global scene.

Al-Ittihad recently lost to Al-Nassr 2-0 on Friday evening in the fourth round of the Saudi Professional League.

According to the report, the list of candidates alongside Klopp includes Spaniards Xavi Hernandez and Unai Emery, and Italian Luciano Spalletti, while Portuguese Sergio Conceição has lower chances.

The Al-Ittihad management seeks to finalize the new coach file as soon as possible to ensure technical stability before upcoming local and continental commitments.

The 56-year-old German coach Klopp previously led Borussia Dortmund to win the German league and reached the UEFA Champions League final with them, and achieved remarkable successes with Liverpool, most notably winning the UEFA Champions League in 2019 and the English Premier League in 2020.