Liverpool have opened talks with Feyenoord to appoint Arne Slot.
Slot emerged as the latest choice of the Anfield hierarchy to replace Jurgen Klopp after missing out on Xabi Alonso as their preferred candidate.
Sporting Lisbon’s head coach Ruben Amorim has also dropped from the forerunner position with West Ham currently considering a move for him.
Amorim and Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi remain viable alternatives since Alonso pledged his future to new Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkuisen.
But the Reds have moved onto Slot, who is understood to be keen on stepping into the void when Klopp departs after nine years this summer.
Sporting director Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, Fenway Sports Group’s CEO of Football, are leading the search for the German’s successor.
Slot has previously attracted interest from Tottenham, with several European clubs expected to be in the hunt for his signature at the end of the season.
Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AC Milan are among the sides set to court the 45-year-old’s services as they all seek new head coaches during the summer.