Jurgen Klopp ‘set to raid Barcelona for first two Red Bull signings’

JURGEN KLOPP is reportedly plotting to kick-start his Red Bull reign with a double swoop on Barcelona’s famed academy.

The former Liverpool manager, 57, said he was taking a year out of football after leaving Anfield in May.

But Klopp stunned supporters when earlier this month he announced he was becoming Red Bull’s new Head of Global Football.

The Premier League and Champions League winner is now in charge of business dealings for clubs including RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg.

And he will pocket up to £10million each year in his new role.

Red Bull have already been making moves under the German after investing in French side Paris FC.

And reports in Spain claim Klopp now wants to boost Red Bull’s incredible stable of young talents by poaching two of the best from Barcelona.

According to Sport, Klopp would first like to sign Spain U19 midfielder Aleix Garrido.

The talented playmaker, who turns 21 in February, has just one senior appearance for Barca and is out of contract next summer.

He is ready for a change of scenery and would be tempted by a move to Red Bull, with Austrian giants Salzburg the most likely destination.

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Klopp also hopes to pull off a deal for Germany U19 winger Noah Darvich.

The 18-year-old is highly regarded at Barcelona following a £4million move from Freiburg’s academy last year.

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He too is yet to make a senior appearance but has been tipped as a future first-team star.

And due to Darvich’s German roots, he would likely end up at Leipzig.

However, the ace is tied down to Barcelona until 2026.

He is also said to have a mind-blowing £1BILLION release clause.

But with Barca’s financial troubles well-documented, a fair bid from Red Bull and Klopp could be enough to twist their arm.

Klopp has botched his Liverpool exit… and it’s cost him his legacy, says Dave Kidd

By Dave Kidd

NOW we know Jurgen Klopp’s final major trophy haul at Liverpool — one Champions League, one Premier League, one FA Cup, two League Cups and (if you must) a World Club Cup.

But where does his reign stand among the greatest of the Premier League era?

In black-and-white terms, Klopp is way behind Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola, the only two men to have won multiple Premier Leagues and a Champions League at the same club.

Those two sit alongside Brian Clough, Bob Paisley and Sir Matt Busby as the undoubted all-time managerial greats of the English game.

But Klopp ranks in the next tier down — with Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho (the Chelsea version), Bill Shankly and Don Revie.

These were all men with the strength of character to transform their clubs in their own image and enjoy success but who did not win as much as they might have done.

Had Klopp managed to keep his intentions under wraps and ended up with another title, perhaps even a treble or quadruple, he’d have edged himself up into that highest echelon with Ferguson, Guardiola, Clough, Paisley and Busby.

But deciding the timing and the manner of your exit is one of the toughest calls for any manager or sportsman.

Klopp got it wrong.

Read Dave Kidd’s take on Klopp’s demise in full here.

Or click here to check out all of Dave Kidd’s articles.