Roberto De Zerbi has cast doubt on his Brighton future amid expected interest from Liverpool, revealing that he wants talks with owner Tony Bloom after not agreeing a new contract.
With vacancies this summer at Liverpool and Bayern Munich, De Zerbi’s situation is being closely monitored and the Italian very noticeably admitted that the “problem” in his Brighton talks would be to find the same long-term vision.
De Zerbi, who replaced Graham Potter in 2022, has a contract until 2026 at Brighton, where he has established himself as one of the best young managers in Europe after leading the club into Europe with a sixth-placed finish.
However, when asked if he could sign a new contract at Brighton, De Zerbi gave a strikingly uncertain answer. “At the moment, no,” he said ahead of Sunday’s match against Liverpool. “We didn’t find the agreement. The contract is a part of the future. It’s important for me, it’s important for everyone but it’s a small part, the big part is the plan.”
De Zerbi then said that he would have to talk directly to Bloom, who has been the main brains and money behind Brighton’s extraordinary rise to the top half of the Premier League over recent years. “I have a different way to decide my future,” said De Zerbi. “I want to speak with my club, I have a contract but the problem is not the contract - the problem is to find the same plan, the same target, the same vision for the future.
“For me, I have not decided yet what is my future, because I have the contract, but anyway I want to speak with Tony (Bloom), my club, to understand their plan, to understand his plan, the Tony plan. Then we take the decision together, without problems.”
Liverpool’s search for Klopp’s successor was complicated on Friday when Xabi Alonso, their former midfielder, pledged his future to the Bundesliga leaders for at least another season.
De Zerbi is among the leading candidates for the Liverpool vacancy alongside with Ruben Amorim, who is understood to have a £12.8 million release clause from his contract at Sporting Lisbon. Amorim’s current contract expires in 2026.
Liverpool would also have to pay to prise De Zerbi out of Brighton, who, it is understood, would also command a compensation package of more than £12 million. Although Brighton did not stand in Potter’s way when Chelsea made their move, they did negotiate compensation in excess of £21.5 million for their former manager and the staff that followed.
Brighton were knocked out of the Europa League earlier this month by Roma in the last 16 and are currently ninth in the Premier League. De Zerbi believes that the historic recent achievements will ensure that his relationship with the Brighton players and fans will not be damaged regardless of what happens. “My relationship with my players, my fans, I think it can’t change depending on the future,” he said. “What we did is history and we can’t forget it.
“The future I want to keep my ambition, my motivation, I live for football 24 hours a day, I want to know what is the plan, what is the project, what is the future because if I don’t feel comfortable, I don’t feel the right motivation, I can’t stay any longer.”
Klopp is also a big fan of De Zerbi. “The way they play. it’s a really different way,” said the Liverpool manager. “He’s a top coach, doing really well, super interesting to see.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has previously said that De Zerbi could manage any of the top clubs in the world.