Jurgen Klopp is the first choice of Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group to replace Brendan Rodgers as manager following his sacking on Sunday and the former Borussia Dortmund boss has already been approached.

Rodgers’s contract was terminated just an hour after the 1-1 Merseyside derby draw at Everton with the result leaving the Reds down in 10th place in the Premier League but still only three points off the top four.

The club said in a statement they plan to make a “timely and decisive” appointment to replace the Northern Irishman, who had been in charge for nearly three-and-a-half years, and Klopp is the frontrunner for the post.

The German is available after leaving Dortmund at the end of last season and he is expected to hold talks with FSG in the coming days with contact already made with his representatives.

Klopp is the current top choice and early frontrunner to be named new Liverpool boss – but former Real Madrid, AC Milan and Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is also under consideration, while Ajax chief Frank De Boer has been linked.

Liverpool expect to make an appointment before their next game – at Tottenham a week on Saturday (Liverpool 3.00, Spurs 2.30, draw 3.30 – match betting) – and a host of former players have already given their backing to Klopp.

Jan Molby, Mark Lawrenson and Jamie Redknapp are among the pundits to have said Klopp fits the bill, while he topped a poll in the Liverpool Echo asking fans who they wanted to replace Rodgers, ahead of Italian Ancelotti.

Klopp won two Bundesliga titles at Dortmund and guided them to the 2013 Champions League final before leaving after a disappointing seventh-place finish last term.