Fabrizio Romano has provided a wide-ranging update on three potential candidates to replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager.
Xabi Alonso had been the leading contender for the best part of two months until he reaffirmed his commitment to Bayer Leverkusen last week.
In his latest Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside on Monday morning, the Italian reporter pinpointed the candidate who’s now believed to be in the driving seat to take over at Anfield.
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Romano wrote: “Despite the links with [Roberto] De Zerbi as Klopp’s successor, I keep repeating my position on that – I’m told that Ruben Amorim is the favourite option for now.
“De Zerbi has been on the list for Liverpool for some time as well, but there’s still no development so far. Let’s also see what Bayern will decide to do, but it’s still time for internal talks at Bayern on who will replace Thomas Tuchel, and nothing has been decided yet.
“Another name for the Liverpool job coming up in reports is Simone Inzaghi. However, I’m not aware of anything concrete so far on this one, also because Inzaghi is fully focused on Inter and on winning the Serie A title.
“My understanding is also that Inter will offer him new deal in the upcoming weeks, so the situation is currently quiet; let’s see if he will receive concrete proposals.”
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Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon took a step closer to a potential league title over the weekend with a hard-fought away win which keeps them a point clear of second-placed Benfica, and his club are understood to be seeking out potential successors if the 39-year-old is lured to Liverpool.
From Romano’s latest assertion, the Portuguese coach definitely seems to be in pole position to take over from Klopp, even though the rumours about De Zerbi and Inzaghi are unlikely to cease any time soon.
While Amorim appears to be the leading contender for now, Reds fans won’t be getting ahead of themselves after the major curveball regarding Alonso last week.
If the Sporting boss is now the man who Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes want more than any other, let’s hope he doesn’t also slip through our fingers and that a deal can be done to get him to Anfield.