German football leaders have suggested national coach Julian Nagelsmann should depart the job following a three-hour meeting, the Bild newspaper reported on Thursday.
The 38-year-old is said to have asked for time to think about whether he will save face and resign after talks with the senior officials at the German Football Federation (DFB) in Frankfurt.
According to a report by the Frankfurter Rundschau, Nagelsmann's exit is a done deal and should be completed by the weekend following Germany's early World Cup exit in the last 32 to Paraguay. The federation has so far not commented.
According to dpa sources, DFB president Bernd Neuendorf informed senior honorary and full-time federation officials about the situation in an internal email on Wednesday.
He said updates would follow. The DFB supervisory board would decide on any termination of Nagelsmann's contract. The same would apply to appointing a successor. His contract runs until 2028.
Bild reported that Neuendorf, DFB sporting director Rudi Völler, league chief Hans-Joachim Watzke and DFB managing director Andreas Rettig were present at the meeting.
Nagelsmann ruled out resigning immediately after the exit on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Fans and pundits have touted former Borussia Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp as a possible successor.
He said he needed a break from coaching when leaving Liverpool two years ago and is now Head of Global Soccer at Red Bull.
