Next Liverpool manager: Edwards to ‘agree’ Ruben Amorim ‘deal in days’ as Sporting boss drops major hint

Liverpool are ‘confident’ of sealing the appointment of Ruben Amorim as their next manager in a matter of ‘days’ with the hunt for Jurgen Klopp’s successor set to reach an abrupt halt, according to bold new reports coming out of Portugal.

The Reds are stepping up their hunt to make the Portuguese coach the new manager at Anfield as the clock ticks down on Klopp’s glorious nine years at the helm. And while Liverpool hope to bring the curtain down on Klopp’s reign on a high as they chase a Treble-winning season to end his time at Anfield, work is furiously being stepped up behind the scenes over his successor.

From almost the first moment that Klopp announced his departure at the back end of January, that search had focused almost exclusively on Xabi Alonso, who has worked wonders in his first senior managerial role with Bayer Leverkusen.

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However, TEAMtalk exclusively revealed back in February that Alonso would reject the top Anfield job, fearing it was coming too soon in his relatively-fledgling career. And those claims were finally confirmed by the 42-year-old himself, who last week made clear he has no intention of walking away from the hotseat of the Bundesliga champions-elect.

At the time, we revealed that Liverpool were also pushing strongly ahead with their pursuit for another option for the job in Amorim, who is also looking to become a domestic champion himself this season with Sporting Lisbon.

That hunt is now being led by Liverpool’s recently-appointed CEO of football, Michael Edwards, who is reportedly a huge admirer of the 39-year-old and having seemingly installed him as the perfect heir to Klopp on Merseyside.

Next Liverpool manager: Edwards nears Ruben Amorim appointment

Edwards is credited as the mastermind behind much of Liverpool’s success under Klopp, having agreed the deals to bring in Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino; their famed front three which led the way for much of the Reds’ recent successes.

He also struck the deal to sell Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for a deal reaching up to £142m, using the funds to make two more great Reds signings in Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker; deals which were transformative for Klopp at the time and still to this day are proving hugely influential.

Now Liverpool owners FSG will hope Edwards gets another major call right in his apparent choice to install Amorin as Klopp’s successor.

Amorim boasts an impressive 69.71 win percentage record with Sporting and, having led them to the Primeira Liga title in 2021, looks well placed for a repeat this season.

Indeed, his former midfielder Joao Palhinha has already indicated why Amorim is destined for the top in what many could perceive as a willingess to reunite with him at Anfield.

And now, according to Portuguese football expert Pedro Sepulveda, Edwards is ‘confident’ that a deal can ‘soon be agreed for Amorim’, with the 39-year-old himself ‘open’ to a move to Merseyside once the current season draws to a close.

Sepulveda claims that while negotiations are yet to begin between the two parties, they are expected to commence next week with an agreement set to be reached with Amorim’s entourage ‘in the next days’.

Personal terms and the length of the deal on offer – believed to be for an initial three years with the option of a fourth – will not be an issue.

Amorim drops massive hint over becoming Liverpool manager

Sporting, for their part, have a massive set of fixtures coming up in what will determine their title hopes, including Saturday evening’s title showdown against Benfica in a battle of first versus second.

As a result, Sepulveda claims Sporting hope Liverpool delay their approach for as long as possible to ensure focus is kept on matters in hand.

However, with Amorim himself indicating his interest in the upcoming vacancy, it seems Sporting have a near-impossible task of retaining his services.

Discussing his future on Friday, Amorim insists he cannot do what Xabi Alonso did and commit his future to his current employers.

“I cannot guarantee that I will stay at Sporting next season,” he said.

“I can’t say that like Xabi Alonso did.

“We have time to discuss my future, we will do that at the right time. Now focus on winning titles and then we will see what happens.”

Asked whether he will remain at the Jose Alvalade Stadium next season, Amorim replied: “No, I can’t guarantee that. Sporting are taking care of their future and I can’t make a decision because I have given my word so I can’t go back on it, which is if we don’t win titles, I will leave the club.

“That has always been very clear since the beginning and it was something I thought was important to tell my players because we have to win. First, we’ll win titles then we can decide [the future].”

Amorim’s exit clause at Sporting is set to €15m (£12.9m), with his deal at the capital club not due to expire until summer 2026.

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