With Liverpool now expected to announce the return of Michael Edwards in a wider off-field role, two of their closest rivals will be left disappointed.
According to widespread reports, Fenway Sports Group are set to close on a deal to reunite with Edwards after two years away from Liverpool.
The former sporting director will take up a wider role within the ownership group, which includes overseeing all football operations at Anfield.
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It is a shock development, with Edwards having only left the club in 2022 and already rejecting a return soon after Jurgen Klopp‘s tendered his resignation.
But it is a hugely positive one for Liverpool and FSG, with the 44-year-old presiding over a major restructure of the club on and off the pitch.
His return, when confirmed, will come after rejecting advances from both Man United and Chelsea.
Not long after his departure from Merseyside, Sky Sports‘ Melissa Reddy reported that Edwards had turned down an offer from Chelsea for a “CEO of Football” position.
That is similar to that which he is expected to take up at Liverpool, but while he was “interested,” Reddy explains that “the timing was not right as he [stuck] to his commitment of spending time with his family.”
Man United‘s renewed interest was reported by the Independent‘s Miguel Delaney in November of last year, having seen previous reports of a deal described as “fiction.”
Edwards was clearly not open to a move to Old Trafford, with Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth instead targeted by INEOS.
The transfer chief was also of interest to Paris Saint-Germain, prior to the end of his spell at Liverpool, with the Telegraph‘s Sam Wallace reporting in March 2022.
Reddy and Delaney also reported for the Independent in December 2021 – a month after the news of his resignation – that Real Madrid had hoped to hire Edwards.
FSG appear to have made their offer at just the right time, then, despite Edwards only recently taking up a position with sports consultancy group Ludonautics.
There, he works alongside former Liverpool director of research Ian Graham, but The Athletic‘s David Ornstein writes that “as a non-executive director he would not be prevented from entering into employment elsewhere.”
Remarkably, though, the Mail‘s Matt Hughes reported on Thursday night that Man United had held talks with Ludonautics over a possible collaboration.
However, it is maintained that “they are not working for the club.”
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