Al-Hilal now 'confident' of prising Liverpool man away from Anfield | OneFootball

Al-Hilal believe Richard Hughes will join them in the summer

Going into the 2026-27 season, Arne Slot, Michael Edward's and Richard Hughes will all only have a year left on their current contracts.

It's unclear whether the trio will be offered extensions to their stays but, with how poorly Liverpool have performed this term, it wouldn't be a surprise to see one or two of them shown the exit doors.

And, as per an update from the Daily Mail, Hughes' exit could come sooner than many think with Al-Hilal now "confident" of acquiring his services.

"Confidential has been told the Saudis are confident they can tempt Hughes to join," they wrote.

"Simone Inzaghi is their manager and Hughes is fluent in Italian.

"Many in Saudi believe he will soon be their man, though others back in Britain dispute this and say he is fully focused on Liverpool."

Liverpool must figure out what they want to do with Richard Hughes this season

Hughes' role in recruitment has been essential to Liverpool's progress over the last couple of seasons.

The Anfield outfit managed to win the Premier League title last term and, although things haven't gone quite to plan this time around, it's clear that the former Bournemouth man knows what he's doing.

Hughes would be a massive miss for everyone involved with L4 and, if he does end up leaving, the Reds will almost instantly have to source his replacement.

Otherwise, they could end up finding themselves in another Jorg Schmadtke situation where they don't have a proper sporting director.

Indeed, these positions don't always need to be filled but, with the way that FSG want to run Liverpool, a sporting director is essential.

And, while Hughes may not have had a perfect track record, he's likely a much better option than most other people on the market.