Liverpool have suffered a potential major blow with the news that a huge off-field figure has reportedly sealed a move away from Anfield.
Everything is going swimmingly for the Reds this summer, not least because the record-breaking signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen is now almost complete.
It is a stunning piece of business that could end up being as influential as the additions of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, assuming the German avoids serious injury.
Jeremie Frimpong has already come in from Leverkusen, while Milos Kerkez will hopefully arrive from Bournemouth to add great quality at left-back.
For all the positivity, a report from Arriyadiyah [via Anfield Watch] claims that Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal have now agreed a deal to make Michael Edwards their new sporting director, in a big setback for Arne Slot.
Liverpool’s current CEO of Football is a hugely influential figure who was seen as one of the best sporting directors in world football during Jurgen Klopp’s reign, prior to returning in a new role after a relatively brief exit from Anfield.
They are said to have made an offer for him last month, which Edwards has reportedly accepted, although it is unclear if he will move before or after the Club World Cup.
A potential huge blow for Liverpool
Hopefully, this is a rumour that blows over, with none of Liverpool’s local journalists reporting it yet, but it certainly acts as a concern.
Edwards is magnificent in his field, masterminding so many signings at Anfield, from Salah to Sadio Mane, and former Reds CEO Peter Moore has lauded him, saying:
“Michael will tell you that he is very focused on that, and I will always call him a genius. They’ve got these blinkers on of ‘this is what my job is and this is what I’m going to do and I’m going to do it in a world-class level and anything else is a distraction’.”
Liverpool must do all they can to convince Edwards to stay put this summer, ensuring he continues working alongside sporting director Richard Hughes, before this new claim doesn’t sound too promising in that respect.