Liverpool to make ‘announcement imminently’ with Schmadtke deal all wrapped up

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp previews the Southampton game

Liverpool are reportedly set to announce Jorg Schmadtke as the club’s new sporting director, as German outlets have claimed that an announcement is “imminent”. Current recruitment chief Julian Ward is on his way out at Anfield and  the Reds have moved to secure the former Wolfsburg chief as his replacement.

Sky Sports Germany believe that Liverpool are hoping to make the move official in the next week, as they want him in place as soon as possible ahead of a midfield overhaul this summer. Previous reports had suggested that Schmadtke would only be in charge of overseeing the German market, but he will have a much wider remit.

He will work closely with Jurgen Klopp, who he is said to have a good relationship with, as the pair focus on rebuilding the squad in a bid to qualify for the Champions League having missed out on next year’s competition and instead will compete in the Europa League as they have already secured a fifth-placed finish before the final day of the season.

Schmadtke is set to sign a short-term option with the potential of extending once he and the club take stock of his impact, as supporters will hope that several top midfielders are brought to Anfield ahead of next season. Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister is seen as a top target, though the Reds will certainly face competition for his signature.

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Mason Mount is another midfielder that has been linked with a move to Liverpool as he could headline Chelsea’s looming fire sale, but reports have suggested that the England man does prefer a move to Manchester United over either Liverpool or Arsenal, as the Reds may face more of an uphill battle to convince targets to join without securing top four.

Klopp does not believe that a lack of Champions League football will hamper their chances of landing top new signings this summer, however. When asked if only offering Europa League will be an issue, he replied: “I don’t think so, but we will see. That is obviously possible, it’s always possible things don’t go as quick as you want. It’s not only possible, it is probably likely.

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“The better the players you want, the lesser is the desire of the other club to let him go. And that’s exactly what we are prepared for.

“But it’s a long window and a long pre-season and a long break in between, so we have time if we get in players tomorrow or in six or seven weeks. It is not a game-changer for me, to be honest.

“In an ideal world they all sign tomorrow and I can tell them when to be and we can start giving them the plans for the summer break but that will not likely happen.”

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