An agreement for Andoni Iraola to become the next Liverpool boss was "already in place" when Arne Slot was sacked, reports Mick Brown.
The Reds followed the Premier League title with a fifth-placed finish this term. The writing was not necessarily on the wall for manager Slot due to performances - though he clearly underperformed - but the players seemingly began to turn against him, and Liverpool decided to give the Dutchman the boot.
Departing Bournemouth boss Iraola quickly emerged as the frontrunner for the job, and many believe Slot wouldn't have been sacked had a new boss not already been lined up.
Former Premier League scout Brown suggests that's exactly what happened.
He told Football Insider: “Iraola has had the choice of a few clubs this summer.
“AC Milan wanted him, Bayer Leverkusen were spoken about, Crystal Palace even made him an offer, but now the Liverpool job has come up for him.
“It seems that was always the one he was waiting for, and from what I hear, that agreement was already in place when Liverpool decided to sack Slot.
“They made that decision knowing they already had Iraola lined up, because he’s the one they want to take over and it looks like it’s going to happen now.
“It was a disappointing season for Liverpool, that’s why they’ve made the change, and they hope he will bring them success like he did with Bournemouth.”
Iraola hasn't said no to Leverkusen
However, elsewhere, it's suggested Iraola's agreement with Liverpool is not quite so advanced.
Other outlets are suggesting he's going to be in talks with the Reds this week, while Florian Plettenberg states there could still be the obstacle of Leverkusen.
He states that the German club have not yet 'received a 100 per cent rejection' from the Spanish boss.
While the insider reports negotiations between Iraola and Liverpool are ongoing, there has not been an agreement yet, and whether he joins the club will boil down to if that agreement has been reached.
There have been suggestions elsewhere that the Spaniard wanted a £10million salary at Bournemouth, and they were unable to meet it, contributing to his departure.
But at Liverpool, a figure in that range will not be a problem, as it's similar to what Slot was being paid anyway, so there's little difference from their point of view.
