Possible Jurgen Klopp Replacements at Liverpool As New Roberto De Zerbi Reports Emerge

• Liverpool have been forced back to the drawing board to look for a new manager
• Xabi Alonso's decision to stick with Bayer Leverkusen has derailed the initial plans
• The race to replace Jurgen Klopp has now become trickier for the Anfield-based club

Liverpool's bosses were sent back to the drawing board after Xabi Alonso announced his decision to remain at Bayer Leverkusen next season.

The former Red had been seen as the perfect replacement to take over the huge void Jurgen Klopp will leave once he steps down at the end of the season.

To make matters worse, the Athletic is now reporting that the next perceived target, Roberto De Zerbi, is highly unlikely to move to Merseyside this summer.

"My information is that it is incredibly unlikely that Liverpool would go for Roberto De Zerbi this summer," said David Ornstein.

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With the revered Brighton and Hove Albion manager seemingly out of the running, the field has thinned even further for the Fenway Sports Group-owned club.

Their situation is complicated as they will compete for the few available elite managers with Bayern Munich and Barcelona, who are equally in the market for new bosses.

Who could replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool?

Sports Brief looks at the pool of managers Liverpool could now look at.

1. Ruben Amorim - Sporting Lisbon

Amorim is on the growing list of coveted young managers and is expected to get his chance at an elite club in Europe soon.

The former midfielder transformed a chaotic Sporting Lisbon into a team that won the league title for the first time in 19 years and could as well repeat the trick this year.

He has recorded decent results against North London clubs in his European football forays and facing them regularly in the Premier League could be an interesting prospect.

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The Independent reports that Barcelona have also entered the race to convince the 38-year-old to replace Xavi Hernandez.

2. Simone Inzaghi - Inter Milan

His name is not thrown around in the debate of the best coaches in the world at the moment, but one-half of the Inzaghi brothers has been mercurial in Milan.

He came to within a whisker of winning the UEFA Champions League last season and this term, Inter Milan is steamrolling every opponent in Serie A.

Not much has been said about his desire to coach outside Italy but with his pedigree and prior experience of dealing with A-class players, he should be a perfect fit at Anfield.

3. Julian Nagelsmann - Germany

Well, the last German Liverpool hired as a manager didn't turn out too bad. They might head back to the same country and pluck out Julian Naglesmann from Die Mannschaft - after the Euro Championships on home soil of course.

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Having been harshly dismissed by Bayern Munich, the 36-year-old could jump on the opportunity to get back into club football. A tactical maverick, Nagelsmann would enjoy working with the number of world-class players that would be at his disposal if he agreed to take the job.

Other wild card candidates

A host of top managers are currently out of jobs but will be viewed as ticking time bombs by many sides. Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, and the soon-to-be free Thomas Tuchel are among the proven winners who will be angling to get back into the game.

All these managers have ties with English clubs already and it might be difficult to pacify the Liverpool fanbase if FSG would settle on either.

GiveMeSport also considers Ange Postecoglou as a possibility but added the timing might be off for the former Celtic boss, who just took the Spurs job last year. The Greek-Australian fan is said to be a boyhood Liverpool fan.

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Additionally, Stuttgart's Sebastian Hoeneß and Feyenoord's Arne Slot are other outside picks.

Why Alonso made the correct call to reject Liverpool

Sports Brief has also previously done a breakdown of why it made sense for Alonso to reject Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

The midfielder opted to remain at the Bay Arena for at least one more season as he continues to hone his skills as a manager.

The 2010 World Cup winner has only been in management for the last 18 months, and a move to a top club could have sunk him.