Portugal Colonial - De Zerbi coy over Liverpool talk after Klopp's 'sad' exit plan

De Zerbi is among the bookmakers' early favourites to take over at Anfield following Friday's bombshell announcement from Klopp.

The widely admired Italian has earned plaudits for his impressive work at Brighton, who he led to a first European campaign this term.

But De Zerbi would not contemplate suggestions that he could be offered the chance to manage Liverpool, who sit top of the Premier League at present.

Instead, he plans to keep his focus on Brighton's FA Cup fourth round trip to Sheffield United on Saturday.

"My focus is just on the last part of the season," De Zerbi told reporters on Friday.

"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 (qualifying for Europe).

"We're going to play the last 16 in the Europa League and we compete in the FA Cup."

De Zerbi is contracted to Brighton until 2026 and has significantly enhanced his coaching reputation since replacing Graham Potter at the Amex Stadium in 2022.

The 44-year-old said there was no update on a potential new Brighton contract after revealing last month that he was in discussions with the club.

Asked about Klopp's decision to step down due to the draining demands of the job, De Zerbi admitted it will be a significant loss for the Premier League.

Klopp, 56, has won the Premier League and Champions League during his nine-year reign at Anfield.

"I'm very sad because, if he changes league, changes country, the Premier League loses one of the best coaches in the world," he said.

"I consider Klopp, (Pep) Guardiola, (Carlo) Ancelotti, (Marcelo) Bielsa the best coaches in the world and I'm sad for it.

"I can understand it very well. I think our work is the best work you can do but it is very tough.

"You need energy. You have to push every day. If you don't work with the right energy, you lose everything."

A.Santos--PC