Liverpool FC are closing in on the appointment of Jürgen Klopp as their new manager, with the 48-year-old having agreed a three-year deal before flying out to Merseyside on Thursday.
The ex-Borussia Dortmund boss has been the favourite to succeed Brendan Rodgers since the Northern Irishman was sacked on Sunday evening and should finalise terms for the deal, with an official announcement and an official press conference expected over the next 24 hours.
Klopp, who won the Bundesliga twice with Dortmund and took them to the Champions League final in 2013, has been in negotiations with the Reds since the start of the week - with talks now at an advanced stage and the manager set to be unveiled as the club's 21st ever manager at some point over the next 24 hours.
The enthusiastic German coach has been on a sabbatical since leaving his beloved Dortmund in May, but having flirted with a move to the Premier League throughout the summer, and indeed throughout his entire managerial career, Liverpool seem to be making a significant coup by landing a man that the likes of Franz Beckenbauer and Lothar Matthäus have been raining praise on recently.
In replacing Rodgers, Klopp is also expected to bring loyal servants Zeljko Buvac and Peter Krawietz, who were both instrumental members of his backroom staff in North Rhine-Westphalia and will replace Gary McAllister and Sean O'Driscoll, members of the new-look staff brought in by Rodgers over the summer.
Reds opt for Klopp as they look to reignite their season
Carlo Ancelotti was believed to be another major candidate for the role, but it is believed that Fenway Sports Group preferred the enigmatic Klopp - who had proven his abilities to help rebuild a club in his homeland with BVB, tapping into the potential of young players and transforming them into world-class footballers in the process.
It remains to be seen how Klopp will fare in a more competitive league than the Bundesliga, where it was more or less Dortmund up against the financial might of Bayern Munich, but his appointment has already gone some way to rejuvenating a fan base who had grown tired of lifeless side-to-side football under Rodgers, just two years after his side had captured the imagination with a breathtaking brand of high-energy attacking football.
Klopp is expected, over time, to instill a similar style - with his famous 'gegenpressing' a philosophy that would work well with the current squad in place at the club. The high-octane, high-pressing style sees players hunt in packs to put their opponents under immense pressure in their own half to increase the likelihood of mistakes.
Whilst it may took some time until Liverpool really take to the style and begin to see the positive effects it can have, Klopp's appointment is at least anticipated to kickstart what has been a stuttering start to the campaign so far for the Reds.
Sunday's 1-1 away draw at Everton left them on 12 points from eight games, though they sit just three points away from third with no real front-runner having been established going into the current international break.
Elsewhere, Liverpool have taken two underwhelming draws from two in the Europa League, whilst they find themselves in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup after scraping through against Carlisle United in the previous round.
Klopp's first game will be their away trip to Tottenham Hotspur on October 17, whilst his first game at Anfield will be their European tie against Rubin Kazan just five days later.