Ruben Amorim: Liverpool plan REVEALED as Reds 'desire' CONFIRMED

Ruben Amorim is now the new favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp as the next Liverpool manager following that bombshell Xabi Alonso news on Thursday night.

Hopes of the Reds being able to persuade their former midfielder to make a glorious Anfield return this summer appear to be fading fast, with reports claiming it is 'extremely unlikely' he will quit his post at Bayer Leverkusen this summer.

That leaves Sporting CP boss Amorim and Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi as the apparent front-runners to replace Klopp, and reports from Portugal on Friday give us further insight into what could happen next.

READ MORE: Top journalist reveals WHY Xabi Alonso is turning down Liverpool job

Portuguese outlet Record revealed some of the details, as Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes continue to firm up plans for their manager hunt.

Liverpool's Amorim plan

Record claims that Amorim is highly regarded at Anfield for his work at Sporting - the 39-year-old has impressed since taking over in 2020. He helped the Lisbon giants claim their first domestic title in 19 years in 2021.

The key info from Record is that nothing will happen fast in terms of meetings or announcement, but it claims there is definite desire from Anfield to speak to Amorim. That will happen at the end of the season according to Friday's reports.

"The fact is that Amorim is a name taken very seriously at Liverpool, so much so that, we can add, the Reds' directors want to speak to the Sporting coach. There's no shortage of desire, Record knows, and the idea is to carry out this plan when the season ends."

Amorim release clause confirmed

The other nugget from this report from Portugal concerns the release clause in Amorim's Sporting contract. It's confirmed to be £17million - backing up earlier reports from UK media.

Amorim of course is also now the favourite to replace Klopp - he was an odds-on 10/11 on Friday morning with Alonso at 5/2 and De Zerbi at 7/2. Then come German national team boss Julian Nagelsmann at 8/1 and Klopp assistant Pep Lijnders at 9/1.