Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation package for Arne Slot to become the manager of the Premier League side.
Incumbent manager Jurgen Klopp had announced his readiness to leave Liverpool at the end of the season.
The compensation package is £7.7 million, plus £1.7 million in add-ons.
Slot, who led the Dutch club to only their second Eredivisie title this century last season, featured on Liverpool’s list of candidates from the start of a long, rigorous process and topped it when they finished due diligence on all the key criteria.
Xabi Alonso, the outstanding candidate for every top club seeking a new manager this summer, ruled himself out of contention by remaining at Bayer Leverkusen.
Sporting coach Ruben Amorim had made Liverpool’s shortlist, and despite the external noise over him, the club always maintained he was not the leading or preferred option.
He ticked several requirements, but his playing approach – particularly using three at the back – and long-term vision did not fit the current squad nor the philosophy implemented through all age groups at Liverpool.
Liverpool consider Feyenoord coach Slot as Klopp’s successor
Suggestions that financial reasons were behind Amorim not being the frontrunner for the Anfield job has been termed fiction, according to Sky Sports.
There has also been scepticism around the reasons for the 39-year-old’s very public meeting with West Ham, with one intermediary suggesting Amorim was trying to pressure Liverpool by showing them he had other options.
The club had already judged Slot as the better football fit before that point, as well as a superior communicator and connector.
The character references sourced for every candidate also established him as a top pick.
On Thursday, Slot indicated he was confident a deal would be agreed.
He said: “Everybody understands Feyenoord will want to receive as much money as they can get, but I get the feeling that they will not begrudge me this move.
“I expect that things will become clearer over the next few days.”
Arne Slot, who secured the Dutch Cup last weekend and led Feyenoord to their first title in six years last season, appeals to Liverpool due to his aggressive, full-throttle style.
He has drilled his team to be adept at turning defensive actions into shooting opportunities and they top the Eredivisie for tackles won in the opposition’s final third.
Feyenoord have the best defence in the league and the second-best offensive metrics.
Arne Slot has proved capable of improving individuals as well as the collective while operating on a smaller budget than his core competitors, and his penchant for a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation fits Liverpool’s squad.
