Liverpool are searching for a new sporting director after Richard Hughes confirmed his departure to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal, marking the fifth change in this role since 2022. FSG president Mike Gordon is leading the search, with the club wanting a swift, long-term appointment and open to both internal and external candidates.

Potential internal candidates include David Woodfine, Hughes' assistant and former director of loans, Julian Ward, a former Liverpool sporting director now serving as FSG's technical director, and Pedro Marques, FSG's director of football development. Paris St-Germain's Luis Campos is seen as a strong external option but unlikely to leave the European champions. Whoever takes over faces immediate decisions on ageing but influential figures Alisson (contract expiring this season) and captain Virgil van Dijk (out of contract next summer), alongside managing a young squad following the exits of senior players such as Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson.