Liverpool have now opened talks with Feyenoord over a compensation deal for manager Arne Slot, who is leading candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp.
Slot has emerged as favourite to take over as Liverpool head coach at the end of the season, following interest in Xabi Alonso, Ruben Amorim and Roberto De Zerbi.
The story around the 45-year-old is moving fast, with it believed that Slot is open to the move and had scored highly in the club’s data-led research.
Now, widespread sources, including the Times‘ Paul Joyce, report that talks have begun with Feyenoord to agree compensation over the Dutchman’s proposed switch.
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Sky Sports’ Melissa Reddy explains that “sources in Holland indicate the process could move quickly,” with Slot “keen” to join.
UPDATE: Liverpool have had their first offer rejected by Feyenoord for Arne Slot.
Any obstacles?
It was previously reported that a fee of around £8.6 million would be enough to secure his services, which is unlikely to be a deterrent for Liverpool.
The Athletic‘s David Ornstein adds that the club have “prioritised discretion” towards Feyenoord, with reports of their interest not emerging until after the KNVB Cup final on Sunday – which the Rotterdam club won 1-0.
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Ornstein claims that Liverpool will “continue to assess other candidates,” which could include Amorim and De Zerbi, but that appears highly unlikely at this stage.
All signs point to Slot being successor to Jurgen Klopp, which shows the club’s faith in the former PEC Zwolle midfielder.
Slot’s entire career, as a player and a coach, has been spent in the Netherlands, but there will be a belief that he is capable of stepping up to the Premier League.
Who is Arne Slot?
The 45-year-old Dutch manager is a former player who didn’t leave the Netherlands in his career.
He made his name at AZ Alkmaar as he made an immediate impact, winning 19 points from his first eight matches in charge. In his first season, he looked set to win the Eredivisie but the season was curtailed when coronavirus struck while AZ were joint-top with Ajax.
He moved to Feyenoord in the summer of 2021 and set about work taking them to the top of the Dutch game. Generally playing an aggressive 4-2-3-1, he reached the Europa Conference League final in his first campaign.
The following season saw Feyenoord win the league and this time around, they will likely miss out on the league but won the Dutch Cup, beating NEC Nijmegen in the final.
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