Liverpool to come up against Michael Edwards next summer as fierce rivals close in on huge appointment

Liverpool face the prospect of competing against Michael Edwards in the transfer market next year amid claims he is on the verge of joining one of their biggest Premier League rivals.

Edwards joined Liverpool in 2011 and rose up the ranks to become their sporting director five years later. He did a fantastic job at bringing in some exceptional players to Anfield and selling squad outcasts for decent money.

For example, Edwards and Liverpool let Tottenham do months of negotiations with Porto over Luis Diaz. This saw Spurs get the winger’s price down to around €45million (£37.5m).

This is when Liverpool swooped in and got to Diaz first, leaving Spurs incredibly frustrated.

Edwards has also played an integral role in making Liverpool money from players Jurgen Klopp isn’t overly reliant on. They pretty much doubled their money on Takumi Minamino and managed to get £12m from Leicester for Danny Ward.

In November last year, the chief revealed he would step down from his role at Liverpool at the end of the campaign.

Edwards has since been succeeded by his deputy, Julian Ward. And while Ward has a good reputation, it is unlikely he will manage to be as effective as his predecessor.

Chelsea were hoping to lure Edwards back to the Premier League by offering him the role of technical director at Stamford Bridge. However, the Blues’ approach was rejected.

Michael Edwards wanted by Liverpool nemesis

Edwards is now in line for a different Prem move. According to Football Insider, Manchester United are close to reaching an agreement with the transfer guru.

The Red Devils are apparently ‘confident’ about beating Chelsea to his services. And they are even willing to wait until next summer for him to join, with Edwards currently on a break from the game.

Man Utd have supposedly sent Edwards a ‘hugely attractive offer’. This is because they view him as the perfect man to take Erik Ten Hag’s side to the next level, while also avoiding the expensive mistakes of the past.

Edwards appears set to accept Man Utd’s proposal and could link up with Ten Hag in summer 2023.

The report also provides a bit more detail about Chelsea’s hunt for him. It claims they have made contact with Edwards on several occasions but have been knocked back each time.

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is now looking at alternative chiefs to fill the void in west London. And this has given Man Utd a free run at Edwards, whom they will now agree terms with.

Liverpool will be angered by the switch. Edwards will know their transfer strategy inside out and will probably use a similar method at Man Utd.

This could see Liverpool and Man Utd go head-to-head over some of the most impressive young players in Europe.

One star to keep an eye on is Jude Bellingham. The midfielder has tended to prefer Liverpool, Chelsea or Man City to Man Utd on the basis of them playing in the Champions League and being on a more successful journey.

But Edwards could turn the tide in Man Utd’s favour by convincing Bellingham and his family that Ten Hag’s project is the right one for him.

Liverpool and Man Utd could also go to war over the signing of a Benfica starlet with a massive release clause.