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Liverpool's owner, Fenway Sports Group, has reportedly opened talks with Michael Edwards over a new and improved contract in his role as the club's chief executive of soccer.
Edwards is, unsurprisingly, seen as a key figure at Anfield, having worked as the Reds' sporting director between 2016 and 2022, before returning in his new role last year.
Edwards was behind the club's decision to hire Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp's replacement, as well as the appointment of Richard Hughes as sporting director.
Edwards, Slot and Hughes are all contracted to Liverpool until 2027, and just as FSG is keen to extend Edwards' stay, Edwards also has the same idea about extending the contracts of Slot and Hughes.
It is claimed by TBR Football that FSG believes Liverpool has the best off-field team in world soccer, and the organization's confidence in Edwards and Co was a key reason behind the club's huge spend during the summer transfer window.
In the long run, FSG plans to adopt a multi-club model, similar to the City Football Group which owns Manchester City and a host of other clubs around the world.
Edwards is determined to lead the multi-club model, but for the time being his focus mainly remains on Liverpool, as that is the only soccer club that FSG owns at the moment.
Liverpool has operated with a heavily data-led approach in all areas over the last decade or so, and the impact of that approach on recruitment has been credited with a key role in the success the team has enjoyed on the pitch.
Data analysis was a key factor in Liverpool signing Mohamed Salah in 2017, for example, when the club convinced Jurgen Klopp that the Egyptian was a far better option than Julian Brandt, the German youngster who Klopp had originally preferred to sign.
That same data-driven approach played an important role in the club selecting Slot as Klopp's successor when the legendary boss walked away from Liverpool after nearly nine years in charge last summer.
Edwards, in his role as Liverpool's sporting director between 2016 and 2022, spearheaded the club's data-led approach to recruitment alongside former head of research Ian Graham, and Edwards returned to the club last year as FSG's chief executive of soccer, tasked with helping the club to develop a multi-club soccer model.
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