World champions Germany are in advanced negotiations to extend national coach Joachim Loew’s contract until the 2018 World Cup in Russia, German daily Bild reported on Thursday.
The 55-year-old Loew currently has a deal to take him through to Euro 2016, and the new deal includes a get out clause should either party wish to part company after the tournament to be held in France.
German Football Federation president Wolfgang Niersbach and his general secretary Helmut Sandrock have been in tight negotiations with Loew’s agent Harun Arslan, Bild said.
“I’m as motivated now as I was on my first day,” said Loew, who began as assistant to Jurgen Klinsmann in 2004 before taking over the top job after the Germany World Cup in 2006.
“The Brazil World Cup was a huge success, but we now wish to achieve fresh objectives,” said Loew, who has an enviable pool of emerging talent spearheaded by the man who scored the World Cup winning goal, 22-year-old Mario Goetz.
“The 2014 World Cup was a peak, but it was not the conclusion of this project,” added Loew, who would be overseeing a fourth World Cup if he does indeed go to Russia in 2018.
Loew’s first tournament in charge was Euro 2008, where his charges made it to the final but lost 1-0 to Spain. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa Spain again beat Germany 1-0 this time in the semi-finals.
Before the impressive triumph in Brazil, which included a 7-1 semi-final thrashing of the hosts, Germany fell in the last-four of Euro 2012 in a 2-1 defeat to Italy.