Feyenoord's Arne Slot has confirmed he will be Liverpool's manager next season after Jurgen Klopp leaves the Premier League club at the end of the current campaign.
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Liverpool have not yet confirmed Klopp's replacement, with the German manager leaving after the club's final game of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
"I can confirm that I will become the trainer there next year," Slot told a news conference in the Netherlands on Friday.
"Until now I was not thinking about this being the build up to my last match, but that starts coming now. At the beginning of the week you are thinking about training and those kind of things.
"But the feeling gets stronger now. That is why I'm a little bit late now (for the news conference) because I wanted to say goodbye to some people personally and take time for them, more than just shaking hands.
"So yeah, the feeling grows. I understand that good results help, but it is very nice to feel that people really are thinking it's a pity that I'm leaving."
Feyenoord confirmed Slot's departure, posting a video on X saying: "The Arne Slot era is coming to an end. Let's enjoy the last moments."
Slot has been in charge of the Dutch club since 2021, and won the Eredivisie league title in 2022-23 along with the KNVB Cup this season.
Feyenoord also reached the Europa Conference League final in his first season at the club.
Klopp announced in January that he would leave Liverpool at the end of this season. Although Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso and Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim were previously linked with the job, the 45-year-old Slot is set to take charge.
Slot had signed a contract extension with Feyenoord at the end of last season until 2026, with media reports saying Liverpool needed to pay the Dutch club an undisclosed sum for his signature.
Slot was also linked with the Tottenham Hotspur job at the end of last season, before signing his contract extension, as Ange Postecoglou proved next in line.
Last year, Feyenoord won the league title but they denied a repeat of their title triumph this term by an impressive PSV Eindhoven.
The approach from Liverpool proved irresistible for Slot, who will now have the difficult task of replacing the much-loved Klopp, who joined in 2015 and built a trophy-laden legacy over nearly 500 games.
Australian Associated Press
