Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim is in the mix to become Liverpool’s next manager, but Barcelona – who are set to lose Xavi this summer – hope to beat the Reds to his signature
Barcelona have stepped up their pursuit of Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim, who’s also a managerial target for Liverpool.
Amorim, 39, is understood to be on the Premier League giants’ shortlist to replace Jurgen Klopp, who in January revealed that he’d be leaving at the end of the season. But Barcelona are also looking for a new boss, with Xavi planning to quit this summer after a two-and-a-half-year spell back at the club as manager.
That’s set up a possible tug of war between the two European heavyweights but as reported by the Independent, Barca are now racing to secure Amorim’s sought-after services before Liverpool potentially make an approach. Insiders have believed that the Portuguese coach, who won the league title in his first full season at Sporting three years ago, would end up in Catalunya ever since Xavi made the bombshell announcement of his impending departure.
Barcelona had hoped that Liverpool would be too fixated on Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso to battle them for Amorim’s signature, but now that Alonso has ruled himself out of an exit, the race could be on. However, Barca face a significant hurdle in that Sporting would demand Amorim’s full €13million (£11.1m) release clause.
Cash-strapped Barcelona remain in a difficult financial position and could be forced to sell another star player during the summer transfer window in order to balance the books. Liverpool find themselves in a much more stable position and are assessing a shortlist which also includes Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi and Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi.
De Zerbi has also been linked with the Barcelona vacancy but his €15m (£12.8m) release clause is an even greater stumbling block, while Bayern Munich – another club changing manager this summer – have reportedly made him their No.1 candidate. Liverpool could, though, have a free run at Amorim if Xavi U-turns on his decision, as club president Joan Laporta hopes.
“He already knows I’d like him to stay,” Laporta recently told Mundo Deportivo. “He keeps saying he’ll leave in June, but we’ll see. We don’t want to put this pressure on ourselves to make a decision for ourselves because the way things are going is working for us now.
Your turn! Who should Ruben Amorim join – Liverpool or Barcelona? Give us your pick in the comments section.
“Any manager who comes will need to adapt to our structure. Barca is above managers, players, presidents or executives. Everyone. We have created a successful model and the manager will need to adapt. Whoever might come, will need to wait until the end of the season because we are not touching anything until Xavi makes his final decision.”
Sat second in La Liga, reigning champions Barca have enjoyed an excellent run of form since Xavi announced his decision, winning eight and drawing three of their 11 subsequent games. They’re due to face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals and the winner of that tie will play whoever comes out on top between Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
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Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
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