Newcastle to beat Liverpool to Richard Hughes appointment as sporting director?

The Reds are currently without a sporting director after the short-term reign of Jorg Schmadtke came to an end following the January transfer window.

It is understood that Liverpool are keen to find a replacement before the end of this month before they shift their attention to appointing a new manager, with current boss Jurgen Klopp leaving at the end of the season.

A recent report claims that Liverpool have not given up hope of re-appointing former sporting director Michael Edwards, who left the club in 2022.

The Merseysiders have also been credited with an interest in Bournemouth chief Hughes, who will be stepping down from his post at the Vitality Stadium in the summer.

Hughes has worked as a technical director for over 10 year at the Cherries, who are currently experiencing their seventh successive season in the Premier League and have reached four quarter-finals across the EFL Cup an FA Cup during his tenure.

The 44-year-old was also a key figure in negotiating the sale of star players including Nathan Ake, Aaron Ramsdale, Tyrone Mings and Callum Wilson, generating significant profit for the club.

According to The Independent, Liverpool are said to have identified Hughes as one of a number of candidates for their sporting director vacancy along with former AC Milan chief Frederic Massara and current Nice director Florent Ghisolfi.

However, the report adds that Newcastle is the most likely destination for Hughes considering his long-standing relationship with manager Eddie Howe, who spent 11 years in charge of Bournemouth across two spells before joining the Magpies in 2021.

Like Liverpool, Newcastle are currently operating without a sporting director after Dan Ashworth was placed on gardening leave last month.

Ashworth joining Newcastle in February 2022, but has now departed the club amid reported interest from Manchester United's new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

It is understood that the Red Devils will have to pay a compensation fee rising to around £20m if they wish to appoint Ashworth before his Newcastle contract expires in 2026.