‘Liverpool in talks with Feyenoord over Slot to replace Klopp’

LONDON: Liverpool have lined up Feyenoord coach Arne Slot as successor to departing manager Juergen Klopp and have opened negotiations with the Eredivisie club, Dutch media reported on Wednesday.

The Algemeen Dagblad newspaper said Liverpool made contact with Feyenoord on Wednesday morning. Slot was heavily linked with a possible move to Tottenham Hotspur last year, but opted to stay at Feyenoord and signed a contract extension with the Dutch side until 2026.

Reports added that Liverpool will have to pay an undisclosed sum to Feyenoord for Slot’s services. He has been widely praised for his innovative, attacking football with Feyenoord, winning the league title in the 2022-23 season, as well as the KNVB Cup on Sunday.

In his first season at Feyenoord, he also led the Rotterdam club to the final of the inaugural Europa Conference League. Slot, who was a journeyman midfielder as a player, began his coaching career at AZ Alkmaar, first as an assistant under John van den Brom, and then head coach from 2019-20.

Earlier this week, Feyenoord CEO Dennis te Kloese responded to questions over Slot’s future in an interview with ESPN, saying: “We assume that he will also be our trainer next year. “We have experienced this situation before and will take good care of our own interests.” Reuters has contacted Liverpool for comment.

Liverpool were linked with a move for their former player and Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso earlier this year, but the Spaniard opted to commit his future to the Bundesliga champions. Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim was also among the names linked with the top job at Liverpool. Klopp announced in January that he would stand down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season.