Berlin – Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp has asked the club to be released from his contract after the season, the Bild
paper said on their website, naming Thomas Tuchel as his potential successor.
Klopp, 47, came to Dortmund in 2007 from Mainz and won Bundesliga titles 2011 and 2012 with them, plus the German cup in 2012, and reached the 2013 Champions League final. His contract is until 2018.
Bild said that Klopp wants time off after the season which has been disastrous by Dortmund’s standard, currently ranked 10th in the Bundesliga after being second bottom in the winter break, and eliminated in the Champions League.
Bild said that Tuchel, who replaced Klopp in Mainz and has been on a sabbatical since last summer, is believed to get a four-year contract as new Dortmund coach. Tuchel was heavily linked with SV Hamburg, but Hamburg said that they have ended talks and appointed Bruno Labbadia as coach until 2016. – ANA-DPA