Before Jurgen Klopp first walked through the Westfalenstadion door as manager, before he forged a black and yellow dynasty, upsetting the German football status quo and waking up one of the European game’s sleeping giants, he received a compelling offer. It would have set him on a completely different career path. Klopp was still at Mainz in the German second division when Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness called. He was told that he was one of two candidates to succeed Ottmar Hitzfeld, who had revealed midway through the season that he would not be staying beyond the summer. At that time the German was considered something of a wildcard option and ultimately the Bavarians opted to hire Jurgen Klinsmann instead. That worked out well. Bavaria was once again raised as a potential destination for Klopp after leaving Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2015. Bayern Munich were already preparing for the departure of Pep Guardiola and for many Klopp was the obvious choice to replace his one-time Bundesliga rival. As we all now know, he pitched up at Liverpool instead. Despite never playing or coaching them, Bayern Munich are a club woven through the fabric of Klopp’s career. His defining achievement as a manager came in toppling the Bavarians as the Bundesliga’s predominant force, winning back-to-back league titles between 2011 and 2012, while his defining failure as a manager also came against the same team, suffering defeat in the 2013 Champions League final. Now, Klopp will face Bayern Munich once again, with the German champions on Merseyside to take on Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League. Between them, the two clubs have 10 European Cup titles, but only one will progress into the quarter finals here. It promises to be one of the most intriguing ties of the round. Had things turned out a little differently, Klopp might have been the manager in the away dugout for this clash. And it’s possible that he could still become Bayern Munich manager in the future. In fact, there are many who believe it to be inevitable that he will one day take the reins at the Allianz Arena. Klopp is Germany’s predominant manager and despite the current look of the Bundesliga table, Bayern Munich are Germany’s predominant club. In that mutual stature, there is enough to link the two. But there are also philosophical parallels that would, theoretically, make them a good fit for each other. Klopp professes a brand of fast and furious football that would go down well in Bavaria. But why would the German want to leave Liverpool? He is on the brink of delivering the club’s first league title in 29 years. Last season, he led the Reds to the Champions League final. The 51-year-old is putting in place the pillars that will hold up Liverpool for a generation and restore the club not just as a force in English football, but on the continent as well. Klopp could join the pantheon of great Liverpool managers.