Sporting manager Ruben Amorim is the new favourite to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool following Xabi Alonso’s decision to stay put at Bayer Leverkusen.
Klopp will end his nine-year Anfield spell at the end of the current season and reports suggest that Amorim has reached an agreement with the club over being their next manager.
If Liverpool and Sporting reach an agreement for the 39-year-old’s services then the new man will likely want to bring some new faces in, as the Reds get set for a summer of change. Here is a look at some players Amorim knows well and could be tempted to lure to Anfield.
Five players Ruben Amorim could sign for Liverpool: Goncalo Inacio
Defence is one area that Liverpool are likely to address in the summer. A long-term replacement for 32-year-old Virgil van Dijk will be on the club’s radar, while Joel Matip is out of contract in the summer.
Goncalo Inacio is one of the most promising young centre-backs in European football, with the 22-year-old turning out more than 150 times for the club over the past four seasons under Amorim.
The likes of Newcastle United, Arsenal and Manchester United have been linked with the Portuguese international, who has a £51.5million release clause in his Sporting contract. Leveraging Amorim’s relationship with Inacio could put the Reds at the front of the queue for him this summer.
Ousmane Diomande
Another option at centre-back is Ousmane Diomande. The Ivory Coast international is two years younger than Inacio, but has also been the subject of widespread praise and Premier League interest this season.
His reported £69million release clause and strong links to Arsenal and Chelsea mean this could be a harder deal to pull off, but with Amorim playing three at the back, this could be a priority area in the summer.
Sebastian Coates
If the club do need to bolster their centre-back corps under Amorim, how about bringing back a familiar face in Sebastian Coates? The Uruguayan was at Liverpool between 2011 and 2015, but failed to nail down a regular place in the Reds’ starting XI.
But a late-career renaissance under Amorim has seen the 33-year-old become a regular starter at Sporting, so could there be an argument to bring him back to Anfield in a more pragmatic sigining? He would be cheap, have experience and help Amorim’s transition to English football.
Morten Hjulmand
It’s perhaps a testament to Amorim’s work at Sporting that so many of his young players are being linked with Premier League moves.
Manchester United and Tottenham have been linked with 24-year-old midfielder Morten Hjulmand, who wasted little time in becoming a key part of Amorim’s midfield following last summer’s £18million move from Lecce.
Another £69million release clause and a contract that runs until 2028 could make this another harder deal to do, with the player himself recently telling A Bola how much he is enjoying life in Lisbon.
"You have no idea how much I enjoy living here with my fiancé,” he said. ”It's a fantastic country, a fantastic city.
"Playing here is one thing but living close to Lisbon, in a country with good weather, good food, good beaches, I really enjoy it."
Viktor Gyokeres
Since swapping Coventry City for Sporting last summer, Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres has been one of Europe’s most prolific frontmen, and should Amorim land the Liverpool job, you can bet the gossip columns will be putting two and two together.
Arsenal have been strongly linked with the 25-year-old as they prioritise a new striker, but he would not come cheap. That could be enough to rule Liverpool out of any potential race for his signature, especially given the club have plenty of depth up front.
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