Liverpool could sign versatile Arne Slot ally after contract deadlock: report
Liverpool's incoming boss could be joined by a familiar face when arrives on Merseyside
It was a weekend of emotional farewells in both Liverpool and Rotterdam.
As the Jurgen Klopp era came to an end on Merseyside, Feyenoord fans were saying goodbye to a title-winning boss of their own in Arne Slot, whose next stop is Anfield.
The Dutchman will succeed Klopp in the Liverpool dugout in what will be a summer of transition for the Reds, who are also bringing in Richard Hughes as their new sporting director.
These changes will no doubt bring about fresh blood in the playing squad and according to reports in the Netherlands, Slot may have the opportunity to bring a familiar face with him.
Feyenoord defender Lutsharel Geertruida was first linked with Liverpool last month, when a report in the Dutch media claimed he had a ‘greater than 50% chance’ of joining the Premier League side.
As the Eredivisie season wrapped up this weekend, the player himself discussed his future, amid a contract stalemate between him and the Dutch club.
“I simply cannot give a clear answer to the question of whether Excelsior at home was also my last match,” the 23-year-old told 1908.nl.
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“There is little to say about it yet. What I do want to say is that it is nonsense that I would have asked for a lot of money to sign. There is no longer any talks about a contract extension. Those kinds of things are then thrown into the media and that’s annoying, because it’s not right.
“The appreciation for the trainer was evident. He has changed a lot and we have made great leaps forward in terms of football. I was a defender, but played a lot in midfield. Slot has been very important for my career.”
Geertruida, who can operate anywhere across the back-four, is about to enter the final year of his Feyneoord deal, opening the door for a cut-price deal should Slot want an ally in the Anfield dressing room.
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For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.