LONDON/ROTTERDAM: Arne Slot – not Xabi Alonso and not Ruben Amorim – is to succeed departing Jurgen Klopp as manager of Liverpool after a compensation deal worth up to £9.4m was agreed between the Anfield club and Feyenoord.

Klopp announced in January that he would leave at the end of the season which has already brought success in the League Cup. The Reds will now take steps to agree a contract with the 45-year-old before he is officially appointed.

Liverpool have agreed to pay Feyenoord £7.7m (9m euros) plus a possible £1.7m (2m euros) in add-ons.

Slot led Feyenoord to the 2022-23 Eredivisie title, while this season they have won the Dutch Cup and are set to finish second in their league.

It is believed that the attacking style of Slot’s teams, his personality and his ability to develop players are key factors in making him Liverpool’s choice for the job.

Slot took over as Feyenoord manager in 2021 and confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League when he was linked with Tottenham in 2023.

Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, who guided Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title this season, was linked with the position at Anfield.

But the 42-year-old Spaniard ended speculation in March when he announced he would remain with Leverkusen for the time being.

Amorim, boss of Sporting Lisbon, was the next target before the trail went cold.

#############

Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim was also reported to have been a contender to take over from Klopp, who has been in charge of the Reds since October 2015.

Klopp, who had no role in the process to recruit his replacement, told a news conference on Friday there is much to admire about the way Slot’s teams approach the game.

He said: “I like the way his team play football. All the things I hear about him as a guy say he’s a good guy.

“I like that a lot – good guy, good coach and looking forward for the club if he is the solution. I’m more than happy, it sounds all really good.”

Asked about the job Slot would be taking on if appointed, Klopp added: “Best job in the world, best club in the world. Now it looks like [Slot is] helped by [Liverpool] not finishing on a high so there’s space for improvement.”

Slot, a former midfielder, spent his entire playing career in the Netherlands, making more than 100 appearances for both FC Zwolle and NAC Breda.

After retiring from playing, he began his coaching career as a youth coach at PEC Zwolle before moving to SC Cambuur to become an assistant manager.

He moved to AZ Alkmaar in 2017 and stepped up to become manager two years later. In his first season in charge, they were second, level on points with leaders Ajax, when the Covid-19 pandemic brought the season to a premature end.

He was sacked in December 2020 when it was claimed that he had been negotiating with Feyenoord.

Slot confirmed on Thursday he wanted to make the move to Liverpool, telling ESPN: “It seems clear to me that I would like to work there.”

##########