Liverpool appear to have decided on the man they want to take over from Jurgen Klopp next season.
The Reds have been assessing the options available to them ever since Klopp announced his decision to leave back in January.
Clearly, the outstanding candidate was former midfielder Xabi Alonso. However, the Spaniard’s decision to remove himself from the running opened up the door to other, less celebrated applicants.
One of those who had been in the picture even while Alonso was still thought to be a possibility was Sporting boss Ruben Amorim. The 39-year-old has been excelling with the Lisbon side since 2019.
Without Alonso, Amorim has emerged as one of the major front-runners to take over from Klopp. And over the past weekend, talks look to have accelerated between the Portuguese and Liverpool. Now, with a new week upon us, journalist Florian Plettenberg has another big update.
What’s the latest on Ruben Amorim to Liverpool
Having taken a major step towards winning his second title with Sporting on Saturday, Amorim rumours have gone into overdrive.
The former Benfica midfielder is said to be ‘determined’ to join Liverpool and talks are taking place to that effect.
Now, Plettenberg has taken to X to report that those talks have ended. The German journalist claims that a ‘verbal agreement’ has been reached between Amorim and the Reds, with failure to agree a fee with Sporting now the only stumbling block.
“News Ruben Amorim. Been told there’s a verbal agreement in principle with Liverpool now!” he says. “Amorim wants to join LFC next season and Liverpool was pushing for him in the last weeks. He can sign a contract until 2027 – confirmed!
“Final negotiations with Sporting CP are still pending. It‘s not a done deal yet. More steps needed. Deal can still fall through.
“The 39 y/o was also on the list of FC Bayern but it was never advanced. Chelsea have inquired about him.”
How much will Liverpool pay for Ruben Amorim
There has been a great discrepancy in reports over how much Liverpool could end up having to pay Sporting for Amorim.
Some have claimed that the fee in his contract could mean at least £17m is paid to the Lisbon club. However, others – like journalist David Ornstein – have claimed that it could be more like £8.5m.
In the end, it shouldn’t really matter. That is obviously a decent sized price for a manager, but in the grand scheme of things, if Amorim is the man Liverpool want, then it’s small change.
It looks like things are starting to move quickly now, the uncertainty is coming to and end.