Liverpool are claimed to be close to appointing their next sporting director, with ex-Wolfsburg director of sport Jorg Schmadtke a “shock front-runner.”
The search for a new chief on the transfer front began in November, with the resignation of Julian Ward, and has seen Liverpool linked with a host of names.
Most recently, former Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen man Tim Steidten was said to be in talks over a move to Merseyside, though claims were quickly dismissed.
It appears as though Liverpool have looked to the Bundesliga for their next appointment, however, with the Telegraph reporting talks with Schmadtke.
Matt Law and Sam Wallace bring the news of discussions between Liverpool and the 59-year-old, who is currently unemployed after his spell at Wolfsburg ended in January.
Talks with Schmadtke have “accelerated” in recent days, to the point that the club “look set to appoint” him as their new sporting director.
Liverpool would hope to have their next appointment through the door as soon as possible, with plans already in motion for the summer transfer window.
Ward is still involved in negotiations at present, as well as the search for his successor, but the current incumbent is due to leave at the end of the season.
Schmadtke is known for “recruitment that gets value for the budgets he is assigned,” but also a history of friction between himself and the managers he has worked with.
However, he is described as an “ally of Klopp,” which suggests he would be able work closely alongside the Liverpool manager.
Before switching to backroom roles, Schmadtke was a goalkeeper who spent most of his career with Fortuna Dusseldorf and SC Freiburg in his native Germany.
He has held similar sporting director roles with Alemannia Aachen, Hannover 96 and FC Koln, and spent four-and-a-half years with Wolfsburg.
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