Just in: Sky Sports report Andoni Iraola plot twist which could intrigue Liverpool fans | OneFootball

According to fresh reports from Sky Sports on Thursday morning, Andoni Iraola would be ‘interested in going to’ Liverpool if the opportunity were to arise.

Following his exit from Bournemouth, who he’s now guided into Europe for the first time in their history, the 43-year-old is set to be one of the most in-demand head coaches in world football this summer as his next move is awaited with keen interest.

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He’d reportedly been in talks with AC Milan in recent days and is also said to be admired by the Anfield hierarchy, although it looks for all the world as though Arne Slot will keep his job despite coming under intense external scrutiny following a dreadful season on Merseyside.

Iraola would be ‘interested in going to’ Liverpool

Just after 10:30am on Thursday, Sky Sports News shared a ‘breaking news’ update live on air regarding Iraola.

They stated: “We’ve got an update on the future of Andoni Iraola. We had been reporting that he’s in talks with AC Milan, which is true. However, we have just been told that those talks are not really progressing.

“Does that give Crystal Palace some hope? We’re told no; he seems no more likely to join Crystal Palace either. We are told that really he doesn’t want to leave Bournemouth who are sixth, to go to Crystal Palace who are 15th, despite winning that [Conference League] trophy last night.

“A little bit more to this as well – we’re told that clubs that Andoni Iraola is interested in going to are Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool, but there’s no vacancy at Liverpool because Arne Slot is staying.”

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Iraola set to be the master of his own destiny

Discourse over Iraola and Liverpool would seem to be moot for now, with Anfield chiefs set to maintain their faith in Slot despite a dismal 2025/26 campaign, but this update from Sky is bound to intrigue Reds supporters nonetheless.

Considering the exceptional job he’s done at Bournemouth, who finished just one place and three points behind LFC in the Premier League on a much lower budget, the Spaniard is likely to be the master of his own destiny, choosing his next club rather than having to wait for someone to choose him.

The two clubs he’d reportedly be interested in joining both have head coaches in place at present (Kasper Hjulmand at Leverkusen), so the 43-year-old might need to be patient for an opening to arise at either Anfield or the BayArena.

However, with it now being made known that Iraola would seemingly like the opportunity to take charge at Liverpool, it heaps further pressure on Slot to hit the ground running next season and dispel the now-widespread discontent over his performance in the LFC dugout.

If the Dutchman doesn’t instigate a rapid improvement in the early weeks of 2026/27, the possibility of FSG turning to the former Bournemouth boss can’t be discounted, unless another club were to employ him in the meantime.