Michael Edwards rejects Liverpool return after Jurgen Klopp exit

Former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards has rejected the chance to return to Anfield and help rebuild the club in the wake of Jurgen Klopp's upcoming departure.

Klopp and his backroom staff will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, while Jorg Schmadtke, the current sporting director, will walk away at the end of the January transfer window.

With Liverpool in need of major surgery away from the pitch, Fabrizio Romano revealed the Reds have been in contact with Edwards to try and tempt him to return to the club.

Edwards was given the chance to lead the restructuring process at Liverpool but is understood to have turned down the proposal.

Following his departure from Liverpool in the summer of 2022, Edwards took time away from football despite attracting interest from a number of the Premier League's top sides, including Chelsea and Manchester United.

In 2023, Edwards launched advisory company Ludonautics, who work with various clubs in search of both sporting and financial success.

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Edwards' return would have been huge for Liverpool, whose return to prominence under Klopp can be partly attributed to some excellent transfer business by Edwards and those in Liverpool's old recruitment team.

The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Alisson and Andy Robertson were all recruited by Edwards, who was widely regarded as one of the game's top sporting directors before his decision to step away from the role.

Liverpool will remain on the hunt for a new recruitment chief but also need to find a new manager to replace Klopp ahead of next season.

90min understands Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso, a former Liverpool midfielder, could be among the candidates to replace Klopp in the dugout.

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