Ruben Amorim has hinted that he may snub interest from Liverpool to remain the Sporting Lisbon manager next season.
Amorim has been the favourite to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Anfield ever since Xabi Alonso ruled himself out of the running by committing his future to Bayer Leverkusen.
No agreement with Liverpool
The Portuguese boss is also on the radars of Chelsea and Barcelona, but reports earlier this month claimed Liverpool had held an interview with Amorim, in which they had come to an agreement that he would take the reins this summer.
But Amorim moved quickly to dismiss those reports, insisting he was fully focused on his role with Sporting.
He said: “There was no interview or agreement with Liverpool. The only thing we all want is to be crowned champions and nothing will change. I’ll say it again, I’m Sporting’s coach. There was no interview with any club or agreement with any club.”
Despite those comments, Amorim remains the runaway favourite to take the helm post-Klopp, and his insistence that he is currently the manager of Sporting didn’t mean he was ruling himself out of the running.
Unfinished ‘cycle’ at Sporting
Speaking after his side’s 4-0 win over Gil Vicente on Friday, Amorim was once asked about his future.
“A cycle has not yet ended and that depends on the characteristics of each one and on each other’s lives,” he told Record.
“I think all coaches have their own timing and it has nothing to do with [interest] of clubs, but how the coaches feel. I’m speaking generally and not about my situation.
“I don’t feel like I’ve finished a cycle, I feel like I want to keep going so this isn’t over yet, we want to win and keep moving forward.”
Sporting supporters also displayed a banner during the game, pleading “Stay Amorim!”, and the question Liverpool fans will be asking is how long he believes this “cycle” will last.
It feels like an odd thing to say if he does plan to leave at the end of the season, and in many ways echoes Alonso’s reason for snubbing Liverpool, as he insisted he had unfinished business with Leverkusen.
“It’s the right place for me to be, to develop as a coach,” Alonso said. “The fans showed great support this year. They have all the reasons to believe and dream we can have a great season. The players gave me so many reasons to keep believing in the team. My job is not over here.”
READ MORE: Xabi Alonso made Liverpool U-turn after director talks as Richard Hughes targets £120.5m trio
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