Red Bull has lifted the lid on how it managed to land the appointment of Jurgen Klopp, with the former Liverpool boss having held meetings with the company even while he was still at Anfield.

Klopp will begin his role as the energy drinks company’s Global Head of Soccer in the New Year, with the German set to be officially unveiled at a press conference on January 14 after his appointment was confirmed back in October.

The move has caused some controversy among fans of his former clubs, with Borussia Dortmund and Mainz supporters venting their anger due to the unpopularity of RB Leipzig in Germany. Klopp has defended his decision though, and it seems it’s a job he’s had his eye on for some time.

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Red Bull chief Oliver Mintzlaff has now detailed how Klopp’s appointment came about, and admitted the 57-year-old jumped at the opportunity to move on from management after leaving Liverpool.

“Over the last 20 years, I have experienced, helped shape and negotiated many negotiations in football. I have to say that when he got the yes, it was the easiest,” Mintzlaff said, as per BILD.

“Not because we offered him an unbelievable financial package, on the contrary. We spoke about the financial side for 20 seconds because he said he was up for the task.

“I hope he doesn't hear that now, because then he'll think that he and his advisor negotiated poorly,” Mintzlaff joked. “But no, financially it took 20 seconds. When the yes was there, it was one of the easiest negotiations I've conducted in 20 years.”

Red Bull’s pursuit of Klopp didn’t come about because of his departure from Liverpool though. In fact, he had been headhunted over two years ago while still in the job at Anfield, but the plan was thwarted when Klopp signed a new contract to keep him with the Reds until 2026 - a deal that he would ultimately call quits on two years early.

“It took a long time. It was a very, very long process. The first idea was more than two years ago, when I first spoke to Jurgen about it. He said: ‘I think that's great, I think that's impressive.’ Not just what's happening in football, but also the sports Red Bull is involved in, how much is being done for young talent.

“That always interested him and excited him. So we always kept in touch and I didn't let up.

“But at some point he told me that I was extending my stay in Liverpool and that was of course a disappointment for me because that little door was then closed.

“When he announced his departure, we met at his place in Liverpool a few months later and I started again with my topic and told him a lot of things, where I think we could use him and that it would be an exciting task for him.

“And then he said: ‘All right, let's do it.’ I had to slap myself in the face. Then he agreed and I quickly drew up the contracts.”