How much will Arne Slot cost Liverpool? Reds dodge huge Xabi Alonso and Rúben Amorim fees
Liverpool appears to have identified the man to spearhead the post-Jürgen Klopp era at Anfield. It was back in January that Klopp announced his plans to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, with a host of managers linked with the post since then.
Xabi Alonso was the early frontrunner but he has opted to remain at Bayer Leverkusen, while strong links to the likes of Rúben Amorim and Roberto De Zerbi have amounted to very little. Now, Feyenoord boss Arne Slot is the leading candidate.
Slot, 45, is said to have impressed Liverpool chiefs, with the Daily Mail reporting that talks are progressing between the two clubs. There does however remain some disparity over how much the Reds would pay for the Dutchman.
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Slot is contracted to Feyenoord until 2026 but interestingly does not have a release clause. Had Liverpool moved for Alonso, it would have had to fork out a hefty sum while Amorim has a $21m (£17m/€20m) release clause in place at Sporting CP.
That will not be the case for Slot but Liverpool will have to negotiate a compensation fee with Feyenoord. The Athletic reports that an initial offer from Liverpool, worth $9.6m (£7.7m/€9m), was knocked back by the Eredivisie side.
It is believed that a fee closer to $12.4m (£10m/€11.7m) will instead be required, considerably less than reported targets Alonso and Amorim. It appears a drop in the ocean, compared to what Liverpool — and other clubs — pay for players in the current market.
According to The Times, Chelsea forked out $27m (£22m/€26m) to take Graham Potter from Brighton last season, having spent more than double on defender Marc Cucurella. The fee paid for Potter remains a record for a manager.
For reference, the Reds spent $181m (£145m/€169m) on four new players last summer. You would expect Klopp's replacement, whether it be Slot or not, to be given funds to strengthen too.
Yet managers continue to be available for considerably less prices. Ex-Everton chief Sasha Ryazantsev explained to The Athletic: "With players, the selling club typically has quite a bit of time to put them in the shop window and prepare a deal for the transfer window.
"Then they can try to play two or more buying clubs off each other in a ‘competitive auction’. With the managers, there is no such thing. Once he wants to leave and has an offer from a buying club, it’s often during the height of the season and the club would rather take any money quickly than have a manager on their hands not focusing fully on the job.”
Liverpool.com says: Feyenoord will not want to lose Slot and will expect a decent compensation package. But if he is the man Liverpool want, that fee should not be an issue. The Reds have to get this appointment right and must be willing to pay whatever it takes to get their top target.