'I keep my eye on my team' - Roberto De Zerbi plays down Liverpool links after Jurgen Klopp announces departure date

After Klopp announced this season would be his last as Liverpool manager on Friday, Brighton head coach De Zerbi was quickly installed as one of the favourites to succeed him. However, the 44-year-old has repeatedly said he is happy at the Amex, is in talks over a new deal, and is focused on the Seagulls having a strong second half of the season.

When it was put to him about him being linked with the Liverpool job the Italian shook his head and then when asked about the latest on his contract talks with Brighton, he told reporters: "No, there is no news.

"My focus is just on the last part of the season. We are going to compete and to play a historic part of the season. We compete in the Premier League to reach the same target as last season (qualifying for Europe). We’re going to play the last 16 in the Europa League. We compete in the FA Cup and we remember the defeat last season in Wembley and for it I keep my eye on my team.”

Klopp has been a hugely successful manager at Liverpool since joining in 2015, winning six major trophies; including the Champions League and the Premier League in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Incidentally, the German is a big admirer of De Zerbi and said Brighton's 6-0 drubbing of Wolves last season was one of the best games he has ever seen. While the former Sassuolo manager, whose contract with the Seagulls runs until 2026, may get the seal of approval from Klopp, former Reds player and Bayer Leverkusen manager Xavi Alonso is likely to be the preferred option.

Both Liverpool and Brighton have a lot to play for this season. The former are going for a quadruple - that includes the Europa League - and the Sussex outfit are also in that competition, while still competing for the FA Cup; a tournament they reached the semi-finals of last season, knocking Liverpool out in the process.