sport news Michael Edwards: It's no surprise Chelsea and Man United want Liverpool's ... trends now
Liverpool's transfer guru Michael Edwards has been the mastermind behind some of the Reds' most successful and frankly genius transfer deals since becoming sporting director in November 2016.
Edwards has been pivotal in building a side that won the club's sixth Champions League trophy, ended their 30-year wait for the Premier League title and added four more trophies to their cabinet.
He also excelled at strategically offloading players for sensational fees - squeezing £142million out of Barcelona for Philippe Coutinho which was swiftly invested into Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.
But in a blow to Jurgen Klopp and Co, the sporting director left Anfield earlier this year and their Premier League rivals are already waiting in the wings to snap him up.
Sportsmail revealed that Manchester United and Chelsea are interested in Edwards as the two top-flight giants look to strengthen their recruitment operations.
It is not surprising either side are attracted to Edwards given the huge success he had at Anfield and if they can secure his services, they would be pulling off a major coup.
Liverpool's transfer guru Michael Edwards (left) was the mastermind behind their best deals
He was pivotal in building a side that won the Premier League and the Champions League
He joined Liverpool in 2011 as head of analytics before a number of promotions eventually saw him take up the role as sporting director.
His first signing of his first summer window at the helm of Liverpool's transfers is arguably his best as he snapped up Mohamed Salah for £39m. After scoring 156 goals in 254 the Kop's Egyptian King has more than paid for his price tag.
Edwards later secured Andrew Robertson for a price tag of £8m which now looks like pennies as his market value has increased many times over.
He also masterminded some often underrated signings such as Fabinho and Thiago, as well as kickstarting Liverpool 2.0 by bringing in Luis Diaz as the Reds look to build for the future.
Now hailed as the Egyptian King, Mohamed Salah (right) signed for £39m from Roma in 2017
Andrew Robertson's £8m move from Hull in 2017 is possibly Edwards' greatest bargain buy
With football often hinging on the high stakes of business transactions these days, Edwards was strategic in the market with a hallmark of his work being his ability to strategise both the comings and goings at Anfield.
He not only pulled off some of the club's most successful signings but also sanctioning remarkable sales to fund their purchases.
He refused to blink when Barcelona came calling for Coutinho, until Klopp was ready to sanction the sale, by which point the Catalans had already well and truly shown their hand and Liverpool held all the cards.
The £142m they recuperated from the loss of the Brazilian went on to fund the backbone of a Premier League and Champions League-winning side - Van Dijk and Alisson.
Edwards also secured big money from player sales, including £146m for Philippe Coutinho
From the Coutinho cash Liverpool signed both Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson and skyrocketed
While Coutinho may be the best example, but his other pieces of business were remarkable, such as brokering deals worth beyond £40m with Bournemouth for Brad Smith, Jordon Ibe and Dominic Solanke.
He also oversaw Kevin Stewart's £8m move to Hull City in July 2017 - that same day Robertson arrived from the Tigers for the same fee.
Edwards made £25.38m from offloading controversial Mamadou Sakho to Crystal Palace following the defender's Anfield saga which included failing a UEFA drugs test and explosive fallings out with Klopp.
He was also key in Liverpool's strategy of player retention last summer, which has seen the club tie down Van Dijk, Alisson, Fabinho, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Robertson and captain Jordan Henderson.
Naturally, Edwards hasn't had a perfect track record but the number of successes strongly outweighs the flops.
Takumi Minamino for £7.25m and Naby Keita for £52.75m come to mind as among Edwards' less successful business ventures but considering they are both Premier League champions they possibly can't be classed as failures.
After several dazzling years at Anfield, Edwards's masterstrokes of transfers have rightfully garnered him praise and a stellar reputation - one which is no doubt responsible for the interest of United and Chelsea.
Club chairman Tom Werner claimed Edwards's reign had been instrumental in Liverpool's success as he paid tribute to the sporting director.
'I want to acknowledge Michael's reign as sporting director. It will end after Paris. He's been instrumental,' Werner told The Athletic.
'You could point to player after player who was identified before they became superstars. Going back to Mohamed Salah, Michael identified him.
'He's very quiet about the way he goes about his business but he's really been critical to our success. We're competing against clubs who spend massive amounts of money on transfers. One of Michael's correct strategies once we've identified players is making sure there's an extension of those contracts.'
On the loss of his backroom genius Klopp claimed the club were fortunate and blessed to have had Edwards work with them.
Klopp said: 'I wish Michael and his wonderful family all the best, for whatever they choose to do next.
'I know he isn't leaving immediately or in haste, which is cool, so we still have some time to work together. If we are as fortunate and blessed as we have been so far, maybe we can create more special memories for our club in this remaining time.'
Manager Jurgen Klopp insisted Liverpool were fortunate and blessed to work with Edwards
'He has been a constant presence during my period at LFC and his contribution to our success is clear for everyone to see.'
Last year, Jamie Carragher claimed he feared for the future of the club should Edwards and Klopp leave Merseyside.
'Over the past six
