Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group have met face-to-face with former transfer guru Michael Edwards as they look to appoint a new sporting director and manager.
The Reds' bosses are keen for Edwards to return to Anfield and help restructure the club, especially since Jurgen Klopp is set to leave at the end of the season and Jorg Schmadtke has already left his role as sporting director. He is one of the most highly-rated figures working in football following his previous spell at Liverpool, when he helped sign stars such as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Virgil Van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Andrew Robertson.
Reports suggest Edwards met with senior FSG executives, including principal owner John Henry and president Mike Gordon, in Boston last week. This comes after he initially turned down an approach from Gordon to discuss matters following the announcement of Klopp's departure in January.
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Edwards who left his position as sporting director at Liverpool in the summer of 2022 after more than a decade at the club, is being offered a more senior role. Since leaving, he has been working in football through data consultancy Ludonautics, which he formed with Liverpool's former director of research Ian Graham. The company is currently helping several English clubs.
The 44-year-old has rejected numerous approaches from clubs since leaving Anfield and turned down an initial approach from FSG in January when contacted about the possibility as returning as sporting director. It is believed FSG hope to lure him back to Anfield with a new far-reaching role, such as head of football operations.
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He would then be part of the process of appointing a new sporting director, who can then assist in finding Klopp's replacement, reports the Liverpool Echo. Richard Hughes, a friend of Edwards, is available this summer after announcing he's leaving his role at Bournemouth.
That has led to fans envisaging a scenario where Edwards - heralded for a string of shrewd deals that saw Liverpool conquer all before them under Klopp when they became champions of England, Europe and the World - would head a new structure. It's speculated that could see the highly-rated Hughes working beneath Edwards and in tandem with the bookmakers' favourite for the manager's position, former Reds midfielder and now Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso.
Responding to reports, Liverpool supporters branded the trio a potential "dream team". Posting on X (formerly Twitter), one fan said: "The dream start for summer 2024." A second said: "That would be some start to life after Klopp." Another said: "Oh we are staying at the top." And a fourth fan added: "Young and vibrant... experts in their domains."
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A variety of names have been touted as alternatives for the sporting director position at Anfield. Tiago Pinto, who left Roma earlier this year, is also up for grabs, along with ex-Roma and AC Milan director Frederic Massara. West Ham United's Tim Steidten, who was instrumental in bringing Alonso to Leverkusen, and Florent Ghisolfi from French team Nice are also being linked.
Alonso is the top pick to take over from Klopp, but it has been widely reported that Liverpool could face a challenge from Bayern Munich if the Spaniard decides to leave the Bundesliga leaders. Ruben Amorim from Sporting Lisbon is another name that FSG have been keeping an eye on, with a delegation said to have travelled to Portugal to watch his side in action.
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