Barca Need A Coach Like Him,' Presidential Candidate Contacts Legendary Premier League Manager

FC Barcelona’s presidential candidate Jordi Farre has revealed that he held talks with Jurgen Klopp’s representatives over a possible manager role at Nou Camp.

Liverpool boss, Klopp, is currently contracted with the Premier League side until 2024. While he has affirmed he will see through the deal, he has admitted that he will not manage Liverpool beyond 2024.

Barcelona’s humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich at the 2019-20 Champions League has left the club in a mess. As a result, the board sacked head coach Quique Setien and sporting director Eric Abidal. The worst nightmare struck the club when skipper Lionel Messi informed them that he wanted to leave this summer. Negotiations about his release clause are currently underway amid interest from Manchester City. The English club reportedly has already offered Messi a five-year contract.

Barcelona have appointed Ronald Koeman as their new manager, who has been given the task of revamping the side ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.

The Catalans’ current president Josep Bartomeu has been on the receiving end amid the current crisis and could be on his way out of the board when his tenure ends in 2021. A new president will be elected towards the end of next season, and Farre is currently is one of the prospects to replace Bartomeu alongside Victor Font and Lluis Fernandez Ala.

Farre, who also ran for the presidency in 2015, has blamed Bartomeu for Barcelona’s current issues and has asked the latter to resign as the club chief. In a conversation with Spanish publication SPORT, Farre has suggested that he would be happy to retain Koeman, provided the manager proved himself in the next few months. Otherwise, he already has a plan in place that includes Klopp taking charge of the first-team from the dugout.

"If Koeman works and does well, he would be, of course. Obviously, we have our roadmap and we had already started several conversations with Jurgen Klopp because it seems to us that Barca need such a coach," Farre told SPORT.

Klopp, who took over Liverpool in 2015, has led the Merseyside club to four trophies so far including the Champions League, Premier League, UEFA Super Cup, and their maiden FIFA Club World Cup. Under Klopp’s reign, Liverpool have managed to end their 30-year wait to finally become the champions of England.

In the same interview, when Farre was asked if Koeman was the right choice for Barcelona at present, he replied, "It is an exceptional moment and Koeman is a good solution considering that he is a legend of Barcelona, a benchmark. Because of his character, I think that was what the club needed now. I wish him the best because the challenge is huge."