Liverpool target confirms he held transfer talks with Arne Slot - hints why move won't happen

David Hancko has admitted he is unlikely to reunite with Arne Slot at Liverpool, suggesting the Reds are not in the market for a new defender.

The Dutchman previously signed the Slovakian at Feyenoord, recruiting him from Sparta Prague in a €6m deal in August 2022. Making 93 appearances for the Dutch outfit over the last two seasons, scoring 11 goals, the 26-year-old has won the Eredivisie title and KNVB Cup with the club.

A boyhood Liverpool fan, Hancko has regularly been linked with a switch to Anfield in recent months, with such speculation pre-dating Slot’s appointment as Jurgen Klopp’s successor.

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His agent, Branislav Jasurek, admitted that there had been contact with the Reds at the start of the year. However, he has since revealed that the centre-back is currently most likely to join Atletico Madrid.

Following Slovakia’s exit from Euro 2024 to England on Sunday, Hancko has now spoken about his future himself. And while he revealed he has held talks with his former manager, Slot, he suggested that Liverpool are not in the market for a centre-back this summer.

“I think that in three years he will be named as one of the best coaches in the world,” Hancko told Voetbal International. “I can see that happening, because I know what he did with us and now he has the biggest platform to show that.

“I have a lot of confidence in him and his staff. And I don't express that appreciation because I hope that I will go with him to Liverpool, because that is unlikely.

“I have spoken to him a few times after the end of the season, but I don't think they are looking for a player in my position, so I don't think a transfer to Liverpool will happen. But I wish him the best of luck, he really is a fantastic coach.”

Meanwhile, Hancko offered an insight into what Liverpool’s first team squad can expect from Slot as their new head coach.

“In the last two years he changed my career, in the way he taught me to play and how I look at football,” he said. “He impressed me in training, in meetings and with his systems. Thanks to him I have grown in several aspects as a footballer.

“You always really look forward to training with him. His playing style and also the videos he shows in team meetings are all so professional. He always shows you what you specifically have to do when the opponent puts pressure in a certain way.

“And we trained on that for a week. Then he would say, for example: If they put pressure in this way, we have to find an extra player in this position. He indicated exactly where we had to stand in all kinds of situations.

“He is so special with these things. He has given me a lot of insights, I notice it now with the national team or when I watch matches on TV, that I recognize what teams do, what the defensive team has to do and what the opponent has to do to build up well. This is what he taught me.”

Liverpool are interested in signing Leny Yoro from Lille, though it is understood that the 18-year-old centre-back is seen as separate from the club’s expected transfer business. Monitoring the Frenchman’s situation, there is a resignation that he will instead move to Real Madrid, with the Reds only ready to pounce if such a switch fails to materialise.

Why Liverpool have been linked with a plethora of other centre-backs already this summer, the club are believed to be prioritising reinforcing other positions at this time. Such a stance was met with raised eyebrows by supporters, following on from Joel Matip’s exit at the end of his contract, but Hancko’s transfer admission would seemingly reiterate the Reds’ position.