Sporting manager Ruben Amorim has reached a verbal agreement in principle with Liverpool, according to Sky Germany.
The 39-year-old is said to have discussed a three-year contract to become Jurgen Klopp’s successor.
Sky Germany report that a deal is still to be finalised between the two clubs.
Sources on Merseyside say the reports are “wholly inaccurate”, adding that the club are undertaking a thorough process around a number of candidates. They stress that a preferred candidate has not been identified.
Amorim, who was also on Bayern Munich’s managerial shortlist ahead of Thomas Tuchel’s summer departure, has an exit clause for this summer in his contract with Sporting.
Sky Sports News reported last week that Amorim was a leading candidate as Liverpool search for their next head coach.
Klopp announced earlier this year that he will stand down in the summer after nearly nine years at Anfield, where he has won the Champions League, Club World Cup, Premier League, Super Cup, FA Cup and two League Cups.
The 56-year-old could still add to that trophy haul, with Liverpool second in the Premier League on goal difference with seven games still to play, while they face Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-finals.
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Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley has the lowdown on Ruben Amorim, the Sporting head coach who is one of the favourites to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool
Liverpool have undergone significant changes in personnel behind the scenes since Klopp’s announcement, with former sporting director Michael Edwards returning as the chief executive of football.
Richard Hughes will join from Bournemouth as sporting director, while Benfica’s Pedro Marques has also been linked with a senior backroom role at Anfield.
Xabi Alonso, the former Liverpool midfielder, was strongly linked with a return to the club as Klopp’s successor thanks to his outstanding work at Bayer Leverkusen.
The former Spain international is on the brink of leading the German side to their first Bundesliga title but announced last month he will be staying in his role next season.
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Sporting manager Ruben Amorim says he can’t make any guarantees that he will stay in Portugal next season
Amorim now appears to be the front-runner after four strong years in charge of Sporting.
After short spells in charge of Casa Pia and Braga, the former Portugal international was appointed by Sporting and guided them to their first league title in 19 years in his first full season in charge.
Amorim has also won two League Cups with Sporting and is set to claim his second league title this season, with his side four points clear of Benfica, with a game in hand.
Why Sporting coach Amorim is a Liverpool target
Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim
It has long been inevitable that Ruben Amorim would take one of Europe’s biggest jobs. Winning the title with Sporting in 2021 at the age of 36 all but guaranteed that. The fact that he is on course to repeat the feat in 2024 only underlines his ability as a coach.
Sporting recognised that this was a special talent very early, famously paying a huge release clause after his spectacular start at Braga. They bet on his tactical mind, his fierce commitment as a player, but more than anything on the power of his personality.
In conversation with a series of Portuguese coaches, some of whom have pitted their wits against Amorim this season, we will explore his rise, what it is that makes him so impressive as a coach, and, crucially, whether this can be translated into his next job.
Amorim, the player, was part of a fine Benfica team, winning three league titles in Lisbon. He was good enough to make Portugal’s World Cup squad in 2010 but is remembered as a worker, in midfield or at right-back. A team man who brought unity.
Injury forced him to retire early at the age of 32, fast-tracking him on a new path as a coach. His time at Casa Pia, then in the third tier, was curtailed as he was forced to resign with the club facing punishment because he did not have the required licence.
Amorim then rejected a role with Benfica’s B team, opting to take Braga’s instead, where he would have more control. He ascended to the top job within months, taking them from eighth to third, going unbeaten in the league and winning the Taca da Liga.
Sporting were so convinced that they acted swiftly, paying his eight-figure buy-out clause, making him one of the most expensive managerial hires in history. He repaid them with a first title in 19 years in his first full season, bringing clarity at a chaotic club.
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Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
