Brighton respond as Liverpool put De Zerbi 'in frame to replace Jurgen Klopp'
Brighton have drawn up contingency plans for the departure of Roberto De Zerbi, with the possibility the Seagulls head coach joins Liverpool at the end of the season.
The Daily Mail reports that the Sussex side are braced for the Italian's possible departure, with clubs across Europe interested in the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss. De Zerbi is said to be within the frame to replace Klopp at Anfield, with the German national having already announced he will depart at the end of the season.
De Zerbi's impact at the Amex Stadium has drawn plaudits, with praise for his style of football as he guided the team to Europa League football for the first time. The Seagulls remain in contention for that competition and hope to challenge for a spot in Europe once again sitting ninth in the Premier League.
The Brighton boss has also been linked to Manchester United with Erik ten Hag's role under scrutiny as INEOS take over football operations at Old Trafford. De Zerbi however, has already admitted he is open to extending his time on the south coast.
In December De Zerbi said: "We are speaking about the new contract but at the moment we are only speaking. At the end we have to analyse the target.
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"If the targets are the same as the club's, it's an honour for me working in Brighton. I don't try to reach the higher level. It’s important for me to fix an important target."
The Italian coach has already been questioned about possibly taking over at Anfield and responded with a simple shake of the head in January.
Roberto De Zerbi guided Brighton to a sixth-place finish last season (Getty Images)He said: "My focus is just on the last part of the season. We are going to compete and to play a historic part of the season. We compete in the Premier League to reach the same target as last season."
It is little surprise Brighton are prepared for all eventualities. They have drawn praise for their ability to plug gaps on and off the pitch having coped with losing the likes of Graham Potter, Dan Ashworth and Paul Winstanley in recent seasons in addition to Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister on the pitch.
Brighton's head of recruitment Sam Jewell is also been linked to a possible departure with Chelsea and Manchester United said to be interested. Jewell praised the Seagulls ability to plan for all eventualities in the summer.
He said: "We’re very lucky at Brighton because our succession planning means there is very little upheaval when people do move on. Departures are part and parcel of football, and while it was sad to see two really good people leave us, it has opened doors to others, including me."
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