Jurgen Klopp has moved even further out of reach for his Barclays Premier League admirers after emerging as Germany’s top choice to succeed Joachim Low as national coach.

The German Federation appeared to give Low a resounding vote of confidence last week, when they announced they had reached agreement with him for a new contract until 2016.

But they are already looking ahead and have pencilled in in-demand Borussia Dortmund boss Klopp as their next manager.

Low’s new deal expire at exactly the same time as Klopp’s, it also contains exit clauses that could curtail his reign, should he fail to meet the Federations’s expectations.

Low admitted as much, as he looked forward to next summer’s World Cup, and said: 'I welcome the new agreement, but I know the reality. If I don’t at least get us through the group stage in Brazil, I won’t be able to carry on.'

Should the worst happen next summer, Dortmund will fight tooth and nail to keep Klopp from the Federation's clutches.

But while they were always confident he would resist overtures from Premier League clubs, they accept that managing his country would be a different proposition and that he is likely to take over from Low in 2016, when he becomes a free agent.