Breaking News: FSG get new sporting director boost as Liverpool target confirms exit

The Premier League club Bournemouth has announced the departure of technical director Richard Hughes, who had been linked to Liverpool.

Bournemouth technical director Richard Hughes during his playing career (Image: Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Image)

In the wake of rumours linking Bournemouth to Liverpool, technical director Richard Hughes has stated his intention to resign from his position.

Following Jorg Schmadtke’s brief tenure with the Reds, which concluded following the January transfer window, Liverpool owners FSG are seeking to recruit a new sporting director. Last year, not long after replacing Michael Edwards, Julian Ward stepped down as Schmadtke’s predecessor.

According to earlier reports from the ECHO, Hughes is among three potential candidates for the position at Liverpool, along with Tim Steidten of West Ham United and Tiago Pinto, the former general manager of Roma. Hughes, who joined the Cherries in 2016 as technical director, will be departing at the conclusion of the season, according to a club statement released by Bournemouth on Tuesday.

As the game’s technical director, I’ve had the good fortune to collaborate with some of the industry’s most brilliant minds and hardest workers. “I’ve had ten years in this position, and it has been both difficult and rewarding,” Hughes remarked.

As a club, we have accomplished nothing short of extraordinary. I am confident in our future because of where we are right now, both on and off the field.

It is the appropriate time to announce my departure at the end of the season, as the club needs a healthy lead-up to prepare for the summer and beyond, he added.

After Hughes retired from playing in 2014, he joined Bournemouth’s recruitment staff and was promoted to technical director two years later. He had two stints with the club during his playing career. Given the timing of this decision, rumors will persist that Hughes is about to sign with another Premier League club.

Liverpool is familiar with the 44-year-old from their transfer dealings with Hughes’s club. Although Manchester United have shown interest in Newcastle United’s technical director Dan Ashworth, the former Scotland international has been linked with a move to Manchester City.