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Jurgen Klopp

LONDON. — English Premiership soccer side Liverpool have made contact with representatives of Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti. The club are keen to appoint a successor to Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked on Sunday evening, as quickly as possible.

Rodgers was dismissed following the 1-1 draw with Everton in Sunday afternoon’s Merseyside derby — a result that left the Reds with just one win in their last nine games.

Former Borussia Dortmund boss Klopp is Liverpool’s first choice to replace Rodgers, who was sacked after Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Everton. The Northern Irishman was dismissed following almost three and a half years in charge, with the Reds in 10th position in the Premier League.

No deal has yet been done with Klopp (48) who won two German Bundesliga titles with Dortmund.

Ex-Real Madrid boss Ancelotti (56) is also being considered.

Klopp and Ancelotti are currently out of work, Klopp after leaving Borussia Dortmund and Ancelotti after he was let go by Real Madrid in the summer.

It emerged last month Klopp is keen on working in the English Premier League, while Ancelotti won the title during a two-year spell at Chelsea.

Having made it clear how eager he is to move to Merseyside, Klopp is expected to hold talks in the coming days and is seen as a more likely fit for the club than Ancelotti.

The Italian will still be sounded out, but Liverpool plan to name Rodgers’s replacement before the club’s next League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on October 17. The club’s American owners Fenway Sports Group informed the out­going manager of their decision to make a change shortly after the 1-1 draw in the Merseyside derby on Sunday, Rodgers paying the price for a prolonged run of poor form going back to last season.

A decision on the next manager will be based on which of the candidates is most willing to work within Liver­pool’s existing structure, and who believes they can get the most out of the existing squad.

“The search for a new manager is under way and we hope to make an appointment in a decisive and timely manner,” said a Liverpool statement announcing the departure of 42-year-old Rodgers.

The replacement, when he is appointed, will work within the existing structure and what has become known as Anfield’s “transfer committee”.

It is the group that plots and carries out transfer strategy and up until Sunday night consisted of Rodgers, scouts Dave Fallows and Barry Hunter, the man in charge of analysis Michael Edwards, FSG’s Anfield representative Mike Gordon and chief executive Ian Ayre.

One of the big reasons for making the change was that owners FSG firmly believe someone else can get better results with the existing players and within that structure. In other words, they believe it is a squad that can and will perform better under someone other than Rodgers. — Jurgen Klopp.