In-demand Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim has refused to give up details about his trip to London for talks with West Ham.
Amorim, 39, jetted off to English capital on Monday and Mirror Football understands that the Portuguese manager met with Irons chiefs to discuss replacing the out-of-contract David Moyes at the end of the season. That's despite Amorim being heavily linked with taking over from Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, having been installed as the favourite earlier this month after Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso confirmed that he wouldn't be moving to Anfield.
Sporting thrashed Vitoria 3-0 on Sunday to go within two games of winning the Portuguese title for the second time in Amorim's four-year tenure. His side trained on Monday but now have two days off, allowing the ex-Benfica midfielder to fly to the UK.
Amorim spent six hours in London - where Liverpool notably have an office, too - and upon returning to Lisbon in the early hours of Tuesday, he was met by a flock of reporters. Smiling as he walked towards a private vehicle, the 39-year-old avoided answering questions and only said three words: "See you Saturday", alluding to his press conference ahead of Sporting's trip to Porto.
Amorim was much chattier after Sunday's game, though, with a section of Sporting's home crowd having unfurled a banner which read: "We will walk together Amorim." The former Portugal international, whose contract includes a £12.8million buyout clause, told O Jogo after beating Vitoria: "Nothing has changed. I'll be here next week."
Amorim added post-match: "The main objective is to become champion as quickly as possible. We have to respond to this incredible environment. We have a very difficult game at the Dragao (Porto's stadium) against a team and coach with an always strong identity.
West Ham's attempt to steal a march on Liverpool comes having won just one win of their last eight games under current boss Moyes, who's been in charge since December 2019. It's his second spell manager of the Irons, who reportedly only plan to clarify the Scot's future at the end of the season, with his deal expiring in June.
Your turn! Who should Liverpool target instead of Ruben Amorim? Let us know your pick in the comments section
Liverpool, meanwhile, are still assessing multiple candidates but Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi is now the favourite. Reds legend Jamie Carragher has a theory on why, centred around the club's appointment of Richard Hughes as their new sporting director.
"Richard Hughes wanted De Zerbi at Bournemouth, so he must be the favourite if this is true," Carragher posted on X/Twitter above an update on Amorim.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.