Former Bayern Munich and Monaco boss Niko Kovac has emerged as a surprise contender to take over at Liverpool.
The Reds are on the hunt for a new manager with Jurgen Klopp already confirming he will quit the club. A number of names have been mentioned with replacing him.
Former Liverpool star Xabi Alonso was immediately installed as the favourite. But he has since confirmed that he is going to stay with newly-crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen. Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim now appears to be the most likely to take over. It is now however being suggested that Kovac is in the running.
As per MailOnline, Liverpool have kicked off talks with potential candidates. Meanwhile, Kovac’s representatives have recently spent time in London in an effort to manufacture a move to the Premier League.
The 52-year-old is currently out of work after being sacked by Bundesliga side Wolfsburg earlier this year. Kovac had previously had stints with Monaco and Bayern Munich - winning the Bundesliga and the German Cup with the latter.
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He also led Eintracht Frankfurt to the DFB-Pokal back in 2018. During his time with Bayern, Kovac had a public disagreement with Reds boss Klopp.
Niko Kovac has been out of work since being sacked by Wolfsburg (Getty Images)Who do you think should be Liverpool's next manager? Share your thoughts in the comments below
During a Champions League clash between Liverpool and Bayern Munich in 2019, the Croatian appeared to snub Klopp during the post-match handshakes. Explaining the incident, Klopp said: "No, no, no. I wanted to shake Niko's hand immediately and then he went in the crowd of his players. I thought he shakes the whole of Bayern's hands.
"Then when he came back I said 'I am waiting' and he apologised and I said no problem and he wants to apologise again. That's how it was."
Kovac also gave his version of the event after the game. He added: "That was funny. We were on English soil. In Germany it is normal when games end you shake hands with your players."
Ahead of appointing a new manager, Liverpool will be aiming to round-off Klopp’s spell in charge on a positive. But it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Reds.
Liverpool’s hopes of lifting the Europa League were dealt a damaging blow with a 3-0 defeat to Atalanta. They then followed that up with a 1-0 reverse at the hands of Crystal Palace - a result that puts their Premier League hopes in jeopardy.
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