According to one European journalist, Liverpool now have only one candidate in mind to replace Jurgen Klopp as manager.
It’s nearly three months since the German announced that he’d be leaving at the end of this season, with plenty of speculation in the meantime as to who’ll take over from him.
Portuguese reporter Pedro Sepulveda took to social media on Monday afternoon to share his latest information on Ruben Amorim, the Sporting Lisbon boss who’s currently the firm favourite for the job at Anfield.
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The journalist tweeted: “Rúben Amorim is the only name on Liverpool’s table to be the next coach, today. All the others are fake news and aim to divert attention from the negotiations taking place with Amorim’s agent. Still no contacts with @SportingCP.”
While journalists such as Sepulveda and Pete O’Rourke have cited Amorim as the clear favourite to take over at Liverpool, the 39-year-old moved quickly to shoot down rumours that he’d met with Anfield chiefs and has already agreed to replace Klopp.
It seems unlikely that Michael Edwards, Richard Hughes and co wouldn’t have made some moves behind the scenes regarding managerial candidates, now that the season is just five weeks from ending, although they may be tactful in not approaching managers directly during the run-in to the campaign.
The Sporting boss still has plenty on the line, with his side striving to win a second league title in four years, so any discussions for now could indeed be solely between LFC and his representatives.
At the moment it seems very much as if Amorim is the frontrunner and could be in charge of Liverpool next season, but it could take another few weeks for a discernible breakthrough to materialise, with the Anfield hierarchy likely to be careful not to disrupt him or his club during such a pivotal period.