'In the frame' - Journalists make Liverpool claims about Xabi Alonso and Ruben Amorim

Reports surrounding the next Liverpool manager continue to filter through day-by-day as we head into the final part of the season - but nothing final or concrete has been decided yet.

With Jurgen Klopp stepping down at the end of this season, the search for his replacement is currently ongoing behind-the-scenes. One manager who won’t be available is Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso. His announcement last week put an end to any rumours as he revealed his desire to stay in Germany.

Plus, Roberto De Zerbi has been since ‘ruled out’ and it leaves Sporting’s Ruben Amorim as the main name being discussed. To find the truth, we’ve looked to two of the sport’s most reputable and respected names in David Ornstein and Guillem Balagué to find out the latest news.

Ruben Amorim to Liverpool?

In terms of Amorim, the Sporting manager has emerged as the most likely candidate for Liverpool. His side are set for league and cup success and he has developed a strong reputation across the last few years. According to the Athletic’s Ornstein - one of the country’s foremost reputable journalists - Amorim is very much ‘in the frame’ for Liverpool as he revealed on his latest Q+A session on the Athletic website.

“My most recent information is that he is very much the frame for Liverpool - not Barcelona - and conversations have taken place. But despite many on the outside suggesting he is the top target, I'm not sure that's the case internally - not because someone else is or he won't become that but because there isn't one while Liverpool continue with what will be a thorough process. 

“Clearly Amorim is a wanted man and I definitely expect him to leave Sporting this summer. I hear the Premier League is his preference and we don't know for sure yet but there could well be multiple vacancies, so even if Liverpool do decide to go for him he will also need to decide if they are where he wants to go. Whoever takes Amorim will need to pay Sporting for his services; I've been told the figure this summer is €10m.”

Is the hope of Xabi Alonso to Liverpool over?

While Alonso won’t be arriving this summer, Spanish journalist, Balagué, believes this isn’t the end of the story between Alonso and Liverpool, saying that he will eventually manage the Reds. Balagué told Expert Insight, “He still thinks that if it goes well at Bayer Leverkusen, and it’s gone amazingly, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Liverpool will be the next steps. He’s 42 so I think he is going to be at the three [clubs].

“I remember talking to Xabi when he started getting the coaching badges about becoming the manager of Liverpool, asking will it be Stevie G or him first? He said, “The logical step is Stevie goes first. But, of course, he said he “wants to be Liverpool manager”. It will happen, of course he will [be]. If he was Stevie G, he would have gone to Liverpool. When he comes to Liverpool, which will happen, he will be a better manager.”