Germany coach Jürgen Klopp has again passed over AS Monaco striker Paris Brunner for the national team, naming his squad for the Nations League matches against Serbia and the Netherlands without the 20-year-old forward — even as Klopp confirmed he has spoken with the player and wants to build a working relationship, SPORT1 reported.

Brunner, who has a German father and a mother from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is eligible to represent both countries at senior international level. He has yet to receive a senior call-up from Klopp; he was also left out of the coach’s first squad announcement in September. Instead, Brunner played for Germany’s under-21 side under Antonio Di Salvo, scoring twice in his debut in a 4-0 win over Latvia on Sept. 26.

Klopp confirms he has spoken with Brunner

Despite the omission, Klopp said the door is not closed. In a DFB video released alongside the squad announcement, the coach said he had spoken with Brunner to make clear that Germany’s staff are watching players in France. “I spoke with Paris Brunner,” Klopp said. “I said: Paris, don’t think we have blinkers on and aren’t looking at France. We’re trying to start a collaboration.”

Merkur reported that Klopp is deliberately seeking direct contact with Brunner to prepare that cooperation, and that the same approach is being taken with fellow attacking talent Nicolo Tresoldi. Klopp has moved to a tighter squad since his September debut as national team coach, when he named a 44-man scouting group; for these fixtures he called up three debutants, Merkur reported.

Eight goals at Monaco keep Brunner in the conversation

Brunner’s form in France is the backdrop to the decision. SPORT1 reported that the forward has eight goals in 11 matches this season for Monaco, including in the club’s 3-0 win over SC Freiburg. Monaco goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky joked about his teammate’s hot streak, telling SPORT1: “I don’t know what he ate during his summer vacation.”

Report: Brunner may have chosen DR Congo

Meanwhile, the DR Congo continues to hope it can secure Brunner for its own national team. The Congolese outlet Foot RDC reported, citing Congolese insider Joshua Bellini, that Brunner has decided to represent DR Congo internationally and that initial steps toward a switch of association have been taken. Neither the federation nor Brunner has confirmed the report, and the player has not commented publicly, SPORT1 reported.

What the omission means for Klopp’s squad

Klopp has used similar conversations to explain other selections. In comments carried by n-tv, he said he had also spoken with Nick Woltemade, who was left out despite playing for Juventus, adding that Woltemade was on a good path but currently lacked “absolute goal threat.” Klopp stressed that form, not the players themselves, drove the choices: “Sometimes form simply trumps everything else, which is why we decided on the guys who are in now.” Veteran striker Niclas Füllkrug was recalled to the squad.

For Brunner, the immediate path runs through Monaco and Germany’s U21 side, where he continues to score, while Klopp keeps him under observation from afar. The next confirmed checkpoint is Germany’s Nations League fixtures against Serbia and the Netherlands, with no senior call-up yet on the horizon.