RUBEN AMORIM has reportedly reached an agreement to become the next Liverpool manager.
The current Sporting Lisbon boss is said to have an agreement in principle to replace outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season.
Sky Sports Germany have reported that Amorim, who has impressed as boss of Sporting, is pushing for a move to join Liverpool.
The 39-year-old is said to be willing and able to pen a deal that would see him stay at Anfield until at least 2027.
However, nothing is set in stone and negotiations with current club Sporting are still yet to take place, meaning the deal could still hit a stumbling block.
Though Liverpool have denied any agreement being reached, punters seem to think it is likely to happen with Betfair suspending betting on Amorin to take over following a flurry of bets at 1/5 this morning.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
The Portuguese coach’s deal in Lisbon currently runs until 2026 and is believed to have a release clause of £25m.
However, it has been suggested that figure would drop down to a more affordable £17m for clubs outside of Portugal.
Liverpool are said to be hopeful that they can further drive down that fee to a figure of around £8.5m.
The news of an agreement comes after Amorim was being considered by a number of other top teams.
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
Bayern Munich are understood to have placed him on their list of potential candidates to replace Thomas Tuchel, while Chelsea had previously enquired about his availability.
Liverpool themselves had reportedly been looking elsewhere with former midfielder Xabi Alonso said to be amongst those they were courting.
However, the Spaniard has since announced he will be staying at Bayer Leverkusen after an incredible season with the German club.
The announcement has allowed The Reds to put their full attention on Amorim and a deal now appears to be closer than ever.
Amorim’s Sporting side are currently top of the Portuguese first division and four points of clear of rivals Benfica with a game in hand.
Sporting won the league under Amorim during his first full season in charge and the club have remained competitive ever since.
Last week Amorim hinted that his time with Sporting may be coming to an end when he claimed he couldn’t guarantee his future with the club.
He said: “I CANNOT guarantee that I will stay at Sporting next season.
“We have time to discuss my future, we will do that at the right time. Now focus on winning titles and then we will see what happens.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Should a deal be completed with Liverpool, Amorim will replace Jurgen Klopp at the helm of of the Merseyside club after the German announced he will be stepping down at the end of the season.
Klopp has been in charge of the Anfield outfit since 2015 and guided the club to win the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup during his time in the dugout.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
