Liverpool have reportedly reached an agreement with Feyenoord over a compensation fee for Arne Slot, paving the way for him to become the club's next manager.
The 45-year-old emerged as the front-runner to take over from Jurgen Klopp earlier this week, with Liverpool opening talks on Wednesday and continuing to discuss terms in recent days.
Feyenoord are understood to have rejected an initial £7.7m offer from the Premier League giants, but the two parties have now come to an agreement thought to be worth up to to £9.4m including add-ons.
A compensation fee was the last significant hurdle for Liverpool to get over in their appointment of Slot, and he now looks certain to become their next manager when Klopp officially leaves this summer.
Personal terms will not be an issue, with Slot having already publicly announced his desire to make the switch to Anfield.
Arne Slot set to be confirmed as new Liverpool manager
Reports have suggested that everything could be finalised as early as this weekend, with Feyenoord having nothing tangible left to fight for in their domestic campaign this season.
The Dutch outfit won the KNVB-Beker with a 1-0 victory over NEC Nijmegen last weekend and, while they are still mathematically in with a chance of winning the Eredivisie title, it is only a matter of time before PSV Eindhoven move out of their reach.
PSV have been imperious throughout the campaign and hammered Heerenveen 8-0 away from home in a record-breaking goal-fest on Thursday night - a result which meant that Feyenoord then had to beat Go Ahead Eagles to prevent PSV from being crowned champions that night.
The Rotterdam outfit duly ran out 3-1 winners, but they remain nine points adrift of the leaders with only nine points left to play for, meaning that the title is set to be officially wrapped up next weekend.
All of that means that Slot has been able to be a bit more public with the interest from Liverpool and his desire to join them.
While there was previously intense speculation that Liverpool wanted the likes of Xabi Alonso and then Ruben Amorim to replace Klopp, the appointment of Slot now looks to be an inevitability.
The Dutchman is highly regarded in his home country, having punched above his weight with Cambuur and AZ Alkmaar before taking Feyenoord back to the top of Dutch football, as well as reaching a European final with his current club.
However, a number of highly-rated coaches have struggled to make the transition from Eredivisie to the Premier League over the years - most notably recently Erik ten Hag, who swapped Ajax for Manchester United and has since since his position come under serious scrutiny on a number of occasions.
Incoming Arne Slot has huge shoes to fill
The transition from Feyenoord to Liverpool would be a big enough leap at any stage, but replacing the beloved Klopp makes the prospect all the more daunting.
Slot has been chosen because his playing style is similar to that of Klopp, and he is also known to be an affable figure off the pitch - something which could endear him to a fanbase that will undoubtedly miss Klopp hugely.
The German has been at the helm for nine years and has won every top-tier major trophy in that time, including ending Liverpool's 30-year title drought and winning the club's sixth Champions League crown.
Klopp's charisma, coupled with that success, has seen him become arguably the most popular manager amongst the fans since Kenny Dalglish - perhaps even since Bill Shankly - and that will be a hard act to follow.
However, the situation is not without encouraging precedent; Shankly's departure in 1974 stunned Merseyside and left Liverpool fans questioning how the club could continue without such a titanic figure in its history, yet his replacement Bob Paisley went on to enjoy even greater success.
Of course, that was a long time ago and, unlike Paisley, Slot will be coming into a new country and a new club, where he will be immediately expected to lead a title charge following a season which saw Liverpool challenging on all four fronts up until March.
While Klopp's farewell campaign now looks set to end with only the EFL Cup to show for it, it has seen them return to the top end of the Premier League table after a difficult 2022-23 season.
A number of promising youngsters have also been blooded in the first team, while those involved in a major midfield overhaul last summer now have a year of playing together under their belts, so Slot is inheriting a promising and exciting role - one which Klopp himself labelled the best in the world while giving his seal of approval to his heir apparent on Friday. body check tags ::
