DFB president Neuendorf to celebrate birthday ahead of big Klopp week

German football chief Bernd Neuendorf turns 65 on Monday but celebrations will give way to a hard week of work as he tries to wrap up a deal for Jürgen Klopp to take over the men's national team.

Any party will be slightly muted by Germany's early exit from a third straight World Cup and because he is due to fly back to the United States in the coming days to talk directly with Klopp about taking over from Julian Nagelsmann.

The previous coach resigned after the penalties defeat to Paraguay in the last 32 in Foxborough, Massachusetts last Monday.

Sources close to the federation said Neuendorf was looking forward to a birthday serenade at Germany's World Cup base in North Carolina but instead they went out a week earlier and he has been left with a crisis to manage.

Two years ago, on the eve of his 63rd birthday, Germany suffered a bitter 2-1 extra-time defeat to Spain in the quarter-finals of the home European Championship.

This time things are even worse.

On his return to the US to meet Klopp, who is working as a World Cup pundit for MagentaTV, DFB sources say Neuendorf will not attend any matches or FIFA business and will concentrate on sorting out a deal with the former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool boss.

Klopp is contracted to franchise club group Red Bull as their Global Head of Soccer until 2029, but reports say he has a clause in his deal allowing him to take the Germany job.

Bundesliga president and DFB vice president Hans-Joachim Watzke is coming along to the US given he knows Klopp so well from his time as chief executive at Dortmund. Klopp has already signalled his willingness to take over.