After emerging as the favorite to succeed Jürgen Klopp as the Liverpool Feyenoord manager Arne Slot said the two clubs are in negotiations to ensure he ends up in England by the summer.
‘The only thing I can say about it is that the clubs are in negotiations’ he said to ESPN Netherlands before Feyenoord’s match against Go Ahead Eagles. “The clubs have to do their job. And then I sit and wait as the ‘main character.’ I have to respect that. That will undoubtedly become clear in the coming days.”
Feyenoord have reportedly already rejected Liverpool’s initial bid for Slot’s services, which was around $9.6 million. according to The Athletic.
While the clubs ironed out the details, Slot said he was confident the deal would be completed.
“It seems clear to me that I would like to go to Liverpool,” he added. “Now I’m waiting to see whether the clubs reach an agreement. I have a lot of confidence in that.”
Slot has slowly become one of Europe’s most exciting young managers since joining Feyenoord in 2021. He took them to the final of the UEFA Europa Conference League in his first season and won the Eredivisie in his second season, the first time they had done so in six seasons. year. The team also won the KNVB Cup this season and is in second place in the Eredivisie with three games to go. He was the subject of interest among others Tottenham Hotspur And Leeds United in recent years, but chose to stay in the Netherlands until now.
He is set to beat a handful of other emerging managerial talents across Europe for the Liverpool job, which was perhaps the most high-profile vacancy despite several other top clubs looking for new coaches. Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim was considered the frontrunner until earlier this week, but it was then reported that Liverpool were unlikely to select him as Klopp’s replacement and that West Ham were considering signing him in case David Moyes opted to join the to leave in the summer. Former Liverpool player
The 45-year-old Slot already has a fan in the Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijkwho was complementary to the potential new manager after the 2-0 loss to the Reds Everton on Wednesday.
“I naturally find it difficult to answer that now,” said Van Dijk. “But I think Arne Slot is perhaps one of the better Dutch coaches at the moment. I think the way he plays and the philosophy he has, he could be a Liverpool coach. Just in my opinion, Whatever I read and hear, of course it is far from completed. Next year we will focus on that.”
