Arne Slot insists his focus remains on Feyenoord but acknowledged his confidence that an expected move to Liverpool will come to fruition.
Jurgen Klopp will depart the Reds at the end of this season, with widespread reports in the Dutch media suggesting Liverpool have already agreed a compensation deal to bring Slot to Anfield.
As speculation swirls over the Dutchman's future, Slot was keen to reiterate his commitment to Feyenoord, who are second in the league and face Zwolle in Sunday's Eredivisie fixture.
"For the 25th time, I really can't answer it," Slot said as questions continue to flow over the Liverpool links.
"There is nothing official yet and I am sitting here with a Feyenoord emblem on my chest, so the intention is for this press conference to be about Feyenoord, but I think you will try [and ask about Liverpool] anyway."
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
"I still have the confidence that things will turn out well, but I really can't give any further answers," Slot admitted, in his only concession over a move to the Premier League.
"If this continues, this will be an unpleasant press conference.
"I just think it's appropriate to give all the answers to these questions at the end of the season, because I'm still busy with Feyenoord here and Liverpool are also still busy with their season."
Feyenoord finished seven points ahead of second-placed PSV to secure only their second title since the turn of the millennium in the 2022-23 season.
In doing so, Slot became the third-youngest manager to guide Feyenoord to an Eredivisie title, after Giovanni van Bronckhorst (42) and Thijs Libregts (43).
Feyenoord won 42 points away from home during that season, the Dutch club’s highest such tally in their history, while they also scored in 31 consecutive Eredivisie games, their longest such streak since 1961 (37).
Therefore, Liverpool's interest comes as no surprise – but Slot was not keen for praise over the links to the Reds just yet.
"You can always congratulate me, but it is most appropriate to do so at the end of the season when it is really official," he added.
"We have made incredible progress. When I started here, we received 5.5 million euros for our striker and we were able to invest just about that amount.
"Now we are going into the Champions League for the second season in a row and the money is a lot more."
Slot also rubbished reports he visited England this week.
"I was in Italy with my daughter, otherwise I wouldn't have such a nice tan," he concluded.
Birthday boy Djokovic eases into Geneva Open quarter-final with Hanfmann triumph
Novak Djokovic celebrated his 37th birthday by breezing into the Geneva Open quarter-finals after his comfortable straight-sets victory against Yannick Hanfmann.
The world number one made light work of Hanfmann, who defeated Andy Murray the day before, after a 6-3 6-3 victory in Switzerland on Wednesday.
Serbia's Djokovic saved nine of the 10 break points faced and won six straight games in the second set for a routine victory, responding emphatically after going 3-0 down.
The winner of a last-16 meeting between Denis Shapovalov and Tallon Griekspoor awaits in the last eight for Djokovic, who triumphed with little trouble on his 37th birthday.
Data Debrief: Age will not stop Djokovic
Having watched rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal struggle for fitness in the latter stages of their career, Djokovic is showing no signs of slowing down before the French Open starts later this month.
Djokovic will be aiming to become the second player in the Open Era to secure a Grand Slam Singles title after turning 37, along with Ken Rosewall at the Australian Open 1972.
T&T women to get much-needed competitive action against Aruba, Curacao in Carib Queen's tourney
After months of inactivity, Trinidad and Tobago senior women's football team will get the opportunity to shake the proverbial rust, as they are set to participate in the three-team Caribbean Queen's tournament in Curacao from May 28 to June 3.
An invitation from Curacao Football Federation was welcomed by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), as participation in the tournament will not only assist in player development, but more importantly, will keep players engaged ahead of next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
The week-long tournament, which will also involve Aruba, will see each team will play each other twice, in what will be Trinidad and Tobago’s senior team’s first competitive outing since their Concacaf women's Gold Cup qualifying campaign, last year.
"The respective member associations have been working together to facilitate the tournament to provide competitive matches for our respective women's teams as there are no Concacaf or Fifa women's competitions this year," TTFA said.
The team will once again be led by former Police FC coach Richard Hood, who will be assisted by Rajesh Latchoo, the TTFA Director of Youth Football and Under-17 women's coach.
Hood's squad is expected to be a development team, featuring senior players, members of TTFA's ongoing High Performance programme, and standout performers from the 2024 Republic Bank National Youth Football League campaign.
"This tournament is viewed as an ideal opportunity to continue to expose our younger players to a competitive environment," TTFA stated.
The women Soca Warriors will kick off the tournament against Aruba on May 29, before crossing swords with host Curacao, a day later. After a two-day break, Hood's team will wrap up the friendly competition with matches on June 2 and 3 respectively.
Last year, the women Soca Warriors finished bottom of their three-team Concacaf women's Gold Cup qualifying group with Mexico and Puerto Rico. They ended with a solitary point from four matches.
Trinidad and Tobago women are ranked 75th, while Curacao and Aruba are ranked 179th and 185th respectively.
'The grass is not always greener' – Chelsea target Frank in no rush to leave Brentford
Reported Chelsea target Thomas Frank is in no rush to leave Brentford, saying "the grass is not always greener" for managers who choose to jump ship.
Chelsea are hunting their fourth permanent boss under the Todd Boehly regime, having surprisingly parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino by mutual consent on Tuesday.
With the Blues reportedly looking for a dynamic young coach capable of working within their existing set-up, Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna and Bees boss Frank have been touted as possible successors.
Brentford's finish of 16th in 2023-24 was their worst since Frank led them to the Premier League in 2021, but they remained comfortably clear of the drop zone despite battling a lengthy injury list and seeing Ivan Toney suspended for the first half of the season.
Across their three seasons in the Premier League, Brentford rank ninth for expected goals (xG) per 90 minutes (1.44) and eighth for expected goals against (xGA) per 90 (1.38).
While Frank has refused to rule out a move after almost six years as Brentford's head coach, he is not actively searching for a new job.
"I will probably be on that touchline on August 17," Frank told The Athletic. "I think that will happen. I'm happy here. I've said it many times and I mean it.
"It's close to the perfect football life. I'm not in any rush or searching to do something else but I also think I've learned in life I'm open for what can happen.
"I can see myself being here for a long period. Can I stay here for seven more years? I don't know and that's not that I don’t love Brentford, it's just, do I want to try something different?
"I'm very aware the grass is not always greener in the garden next door, even if it looks like it. You get in there, take a closer look and see there are a lot of weeds in the grass."
Brentford have already seen set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva agree to join Chelsea, and reports have suggested the Blues' hierarchy were unimpressed with how Pochettino's staff dealt with dead balls.
Brentford ranked second for xG from set-pieces in the Premier League this season (15.7) and allowed opponents the third lowest xGA figure from such situations (8.6), behind only Arsenal and Manchester City.
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