Barcelona had been linked with a number of coaches this summer, but Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim had not been one of the ones that was most commonly linked with the role. Nevertheless, the Catalans are reportedly moving to secure a deal with the 39-year-old.
Amorim has been universally praised in Portugal for rebuilding Sporting, ending their 19-year league title drought, and securing three league cups with the Lions. Amorim has an impressive record with young players, and playing attractive football too.
As per The Indepedent, Amorim is the leading candidate for the Barcelona job. Insiders had expected Amorim to head to Barcelona, but with Xabi Alonso’s decision to stay at Bayer Leverkusen, Amorim has moved up to the number one choice for top European clubs. These clubs remain undefined in the report, but Bayern Munich and Liverpool were the two sides most closely linked with Alonso.
🚨 Ruben Amorim is highly regarded by Barcelona. @Plettigoal pic.twitter.com/TqErJSYw6S
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 2, 2024
One of the reasons that Barcelona had considered Amorim was that they believed him to be more attainable, with the focus on Alonso. However he still has a reported €13m release clause, something that could get in the way of a move to Barcelona. Brighton coach Roberto de Zerbi has been linked with the Barcelona job too, but his release clause, believed to be in the region of €14-15m, is one the reasons he has been dismissed of late.
This does clash with the recent talk coming out of the Catalan media, who say that the hunt for a Xavi Hernandez replacement has been halted in order to focus on trying to persuade Xavi to change his mind about his departure. If they are in direct competition with Liverpool or Bayern this summer, they will have to maket their pitch smart, as in terms of resources, a move to Germany or England would see Amorim with much more to gain.
