The Reds head into the first international break of the 2026-27 campaign with their unbeaten record intact.
Andoni Iraola, appointed on a two-year contract in June to succeed Arne Slot, has steadied Liverpool across an unforgiving opening schedule – two 2-2 draws against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest followed by a 2-0 victory at Ipswich.
With Premier League football now on pause, a sizeable contingent of Liverpool players has dispersed to join their respective international squads.
For Iraola and his backroom staff, it is a period for reflection and planning, one that, away from the training pitch, has brought a notable name into the conversation around Liverpool’s football operations.
According to CF Bayern Insider, Liverpool are believed to have explored an interest in Christoph Freund, Bayern Munich’s sporting director.
The Reds need to fill their own vacancy at the top of the recruitment structure following Richard Hughes’s departure for Al-Hilal, and Freund has drawn admiration for the work he has done at the Allianz Arena since joining from Red Bull Salzburg in 2023.
It would not be the first time an English club has pursued the 49-year-old Austrian. Chelsea made a move for Freund previously, only for him to decline.
On the CF Bayern Insider Podcast, BILD Head of Football Christian Falk addressed the reports directly.
He said Liverpool interest had not been specifically confirmed to him, but acknowledged Freund’s apparent hesitation before committing to a contract extension gave some grounds for speculation.
“I will note it was interesting that the Bayern sporting director appeared to hesitate a few weeks ago over signing a new contract,” Falk said. “So, perhaps there was something in the air.”
Falk was, however, quick to add important context. He pointed to the Chelsea episode as a telling precedent.
“He had a big opportunity to go to one of Liverpool’s Premier League rivals, Chelsea, in the past and he didn’t,” Falk noted.
The reason, he explained, is personal as much as professional. Freund lives with his family in Salzburg, roughly an hour and a half to two hours from Bayern’s training ground.
A move to Merseyside would represent a far greater disruption than anything previously put to him.
“It would be difficult for Christoph Freund to move quite a way away from home. He’s feeling quite confident at Bayern also,” Falk added.
There were also internal dynamics at Bayern that may have contributed to any period of uncertainty.
Falk acknowledged there had been discussions about how Freund’s role as sporting director could co-exist with that of director of sport Max Eberl.
But those conversations appear resolved, with Freund now focused on the club’s academy, the Campus, among other responsibilities.
Despite the reported interest in Christoph Freund, The Athletic has reported that FSG technical director Julian Ward is now expected to be appointed as Liverpool’s new sporting director.
Ward was considered the leading candidate to replace Hughes after the former Bournemouth executive officially left Liverpool earlier this month.
The 45-year-old joined Liverpool from Manchester City in 2012 as European scouting manager for Spain and Portugal.
Support DaveOCKOP and enjoy the site completely ad-free. You’ll get an uninterrupted browsing experience while helping us continue to deliver the latest Liverpool news, breaking stories and exclusives. Go ad-free today.