Fabrizio Romano “the situation is quite clear” for Arne Slot as the Liverpool chiefs weigh up his future at the club.

Slotled Liverpool to just their second Premier League title in his debut campaign in 2024/2025, but a ￡446m summer spend has led to a significant dip in performances and results in his second season at the club.

They eased through to the Champions League last-16 but sit 16 points off leaders Arsenal in the Premier League, facing a fight with Manchester United and Chelsea to finish in the top five ad qualify for Europe’s showcase competition next season.

And Romano insists Champions League qualification will be an “absolutely crucial” factor in determining his future at the club ahead of the Liverpool chiefs conducting an “internal review” at the end of the season.

“For Arne Slot the situation is quite clear,” Romano said on his Here We Go podcast. “Being in the Champions League next season will be absolutely crucial for him. If Liverpool will not be in the Champions League next season I think this could bring them into an important review in the summer.

“Now the full focus is on the pitch, on Champions League, on the opportunity to win a trophy which would be massive for Liverpool. Then in the summer, review at the club.

“if they’re in the Champions League will be one of the factors to decide on Arne Slot. I expect the club, the owners, the board to meet at the end of the season and decide what they’re going to do.

“At the moment they’ve always been protecting Slot, even in difficult moments when the situation was really complicated, always showing the trust, but at the end of the season there will be an internal review and we will see.”

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Xabi Alonso will be the strong favourite to replace Slot at Anfield should the Dutchman be sent packing and after the Spaniard was linked with the Marseille job earlier this week, Romano detailed his stance.

“Some people on the board of Olympique Marseille wanted to see if Xabi was ready to accept that kind of opportunity. But the answer from Alonso is that he wants to wait,” Romano added.

“My understanding is that he wants to return as soon as possible, that’s 100 per cent confirmed and guaranteed, so he’s not going to take a long break, but for now he’s focused on different kinds of opportunities. He will wait for these managerial changes in the next months to understand if there could be the right opportunity.”