Thursday 8 October 2015 06:53, UK
Liverpool are in advanced talks to bring in Jurgen Klopp as their new manager and hope to confirm the deal within 48 hours.
Sky sources understand the German is expected to travel to Merseyside on Thursday to continue talks with the club over replacing Brendan Rodgers, who was sacked on Sunday.
Klopp is the club's preferred candidate to replace Rodgers ahead of former Real Madrid and Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, who on Tuesday appeared to rule himself out of the running, and talks with his representatives in Germany have reached an "advanced stage".
Klopp has spoken personally to the American owners, although he is yet to accept the job.
On Tuesday, the former Dortmund manager smiled when asked by a reporter from German newspaper Bild about his talks with the Reds, stating: "There's nothing to say. Neither one [answer] nor the other."
Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann believes Klopp would represent "a very good appointment", while another ex-Germany international who played for the Reds, Karl-Heinz Riedle, has praised the 48-year-old's coaching acumen.
If Klopp does take over at Anfield, he is expected to bring in his former Dortmund assistant, Bosnian Zeljko Buvac. Buvac is known as 'The Brain' due to his tactical knowledge and Klopp has described him as a "master of every form of training".
The pair have known each other since 1992 when they were team-mates at Mainz. After their playing career, Klopp appointed Buvac as his assistant when he took over at Mainz in 2001.
Klopp could also bring another of his former Dortmund coaches with him. Peter Krawietz, who never played professional football, specialises as a video analyst.
While this week's international break affords Liverpool more time in which to appoint a successor to Rodgers, who was dismissed after Sunday's 1-1 draw at Everton, the club are keen to move quickly.
Klopp, 48, is currently out of work and enjoying a sabbatical following his decision to leave Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season, but he has previously divulged a desire to manage in England and put no timescale on his time away from the game.
In his time at Dortmund, having joined in May 2008, Klopp ended their nine-year wait for a Bundesliga title, winning the German top division in 2011 and in 2012, when they won a league and cup double.
Nick Wright outlines the reasons why Jurgen Klopp is the right man for Liverpool.
He also took the club to their second Champions League final in 2013, where they were beaten 2-1 by German rivals Bayern Munich, but Klopp struggled in his final season in charge and the team ended up finishing seventh.
Meanwhile, back on Merseyside, Liverpool's non-international players have returned to training with assistant boss Sean O'Driscoll, first team coach Gary McAllister and development coach Pep Lijnders taking care of sessions at Melwood.
