What Portuguese newspaper has published on its front page about Ruben Amorim becoming next Liverpool manager

An Anfield reunion with Xabi Alonso looks out of question. Any supporters that started to raise hopes that the Spaniard would be coming back to Merseyside to replace Jurgen Klopp have been left disappointed.

Alonso appears highly unlikely to be heading back to Liverpool. He was the apparent frontrunner to succeed Klopp in the Reds' dugout given the magnificent job carried out at Bayer Leverkusen. In 18 months, the German side have gone from bottom of the Bundesliga to being on the verge of winning their first title.

And it seems Alonso is not quite ready to turn a new chapter and instead wants to build on the magnificent work he's conducted. In truth, it's an honourable decision given the fickle nature of modern-day management.

However, Liverpool will have to look to other candidates. Roberto De Zerbi will undergo his audition when he takes his Brighton side to Anfield on Easter Sunday. The Italian guided the Seagulls to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League last campaign as well as reaching the FA Cup semi-finals.

But Ruben Amorim is also being heavily linked with the L4 role. The Sporting CP boss is highly touted and is on track to leading the club to their second Portuguese crown this season. They also knocked Arsenal out of last season's Europa League.

Against the backdrop of the Alonso news, Portuguese newspaper Record have made their front page on Amorim's future with the headline saying: "Liverpool tightens Amorim". A subheading added: "Reds want to meet with coach at the end of the season Italian Zerbi also on the list."

Per Sport Witness, the article inside the paper on Amorim starts by saying: "The rainy weather does not take meaning away from the expression... where there is smoke, there is fire."