New Delhi, July 12 -- FRANKFURT - The phone call that Jurgen Klopp said he had been waiting for came in New York on Friday. By Saturday afternoon, the German Football Association planned to announce it publicly. Klopp has agreed in principle to become Germany's national head coach, with a contract extending through the 2030 World Cup.

The agreement followed a breakthrough in negotiations that had been accelerating since Klopp's Red Bull contract exit clause was identified as the mechanism by which he could leave his global executive role. That clause, built specifically for the Germany coaching position, appears to have been designed with this appointment in mind. Klopp's departure from his position as head of global soccer at Red Bull w...