Cape Town - Bayern Munich legend Franz Beckenbauer says that he could see outgoing Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp replacing Pep Guardiola at the Bavarian giants.
Although the former West Germany international hopes that Guardiola stays, the Kaizer spoke with admiration of Klopp, who guided BVB to two Bundesliga titles, one DFB-Pokal and a Champions League final.
Dortmund recently revealed that Klopp would leave the club at the end of the season, to be replaced by current Mainz boss Thomas Tuchel.
While Bayern recently won their third Bundesliga title in a row after a dominant season under the Spaniard, BVB have endured a miserable campaign that once had them worrying over relegation until they climbed to their current position of eighth.
Despite that disparity this term, Klopp managed to turn Dortmund into a legitimate rival to Die Roten’s dominance of German football, and he is still considered an option to replace Guardiola when the former Barcelona boss decides to leave Bavaria.
"Of course I could imagine Klopp as Guardiola's successor," Beckenbauer told Sky Sports.
"When I was president, we often talked about Klopp and believe he would fit very well at Bayern.
"Klopp is definitely an option at Bayern. The question is, how long Guardiola will be in Munich. I hope for a long time, but Klopp would be considered.
"I can't imagine that Guardiola would leave in 2016. He likes Munich. He has had success with the team and he knows that he can succeed in the future. He has everything he wants."
Bayern still have two cups to play for, with a DFB-Pokal semi-final against Dortmund on Tuesday followed by a Champions League semi-final clash against Barcelona.
"If you really want to have a chance against Barcelona, then you need to have a complete team," he added. "You need Franck Ribery, David Alaba and Arjen Robben. If Bayern manage to take Messi out of the game then they have a chance.
"I also think they need perfect performance against Borussia Dortmund. Klopp announcing his resignation gives them additional motivation. They want to give him something to wave goodbye and this can only be the trophy."