Liverpool have not yet made a formal approach for Fulham manager Roy Hodgson, the London club confirmed today.
As speculation increases that the Merseysiders will open talks with Hodgson before he heads off to the World Cup on Wednesday to act as a pundit for the BBC, Fulham said there has not yet been any contact from Anfield.
“We have had no official approach from Liverpool about Roy Hodgson,” a club spokesperson told Goal.com UK.
Although Cottagers owner Mohamed Al Fayed has been quoted as saying he is confident of holding on to the manager, it is expected that Liverpool will step up their search for Rafael Benitez’s successor by contacting the 62-year-old before he heads out to South Africa.
But Fayed, who appointed Hodgson in December 2007, believes Hodgson has no reason to leave Craven Cottage.
“I don’t think he’ll leave me,” Fayed said. “I’m sure he’ll have lots of approaches from other clubs, but I give him anything he wants to reach results and we have a very good relationship.”
Hodgson, who guided Fulham to the Europa League final this season and has previous experience across Europe, including two spells with Inter Milan, has a 12-month rolling contract, negotiated last summer.
However, it contains a clause which allows him to leave a top club for a compensation figure of around £2.5 million.
Despite the expectation that Liverpool’s directors will give the green light to approach Fulham, there is a growing clamour among Anfield supporters for club legend Kenny Dalglish to take over for a second spell at the club.
Dalglish, the current club ambassador given the task of helping managing director Christian Purslow to find Benitez’s successor, has told friends that he would like the job, although he is not willing to compromise the board in any way by making his interest in the position public.
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