Liverpool are on the brink of adding former Netherlands left-back Giovanni van Bronckhorst to their coaching setup, according to a report.

Head coach Arne Slot has already lost one key member of his backroom team since the Reds' triumphant 2024-25 Premier League campaign, as Johnny Heitinga departed to become Ajax's new manager.

Slot still has Sipke Hulshoff by his side, but Heitinga's exit left a vacancy needing to be filled ahead of their top-flight title defence next season.

Sticking with the Dutch theme, The Times claims that Liverpool are close to sealing a deal for Van Bronckhorst, who would act as a direct replacement for Heitinga at Anfield.

The 50-year-old is understood to have given the green light to a contract offer, and confirmation of his return to England should arrive in the not-too-distant future.

Van Bronckhorst has been absent from the dugout since leaving his role as Besiktas head coach in November, although he has been working for UEFA as a match analyst since January.

Who is soon-to-be Liverpool assistant Van Bronckhorst?

A familiar face down the Netherlands' left-hand side back in the day, Van Bronckhorst is perhaps best remembered for his unbelievable long-range goal in the 2010 World Cup semi-finals against Uruguay, before suffering an agonising defeat to Spain on his final international appearance.

While World Cup glory passed him by, the Dutchman still collected a staggering 16 major honours during a stellar playing career, including the 2005-06 Champions League title with Barcelona and 2001-02 Premier League crown with Arsenal.

The erstwhile left-back also represented Feyenoord and Rangers before calling it a day in 2010, after which he rose up the coaching ranks with the Rotterdam side and became their first-team manager in 2015.

Van Bronckhorst won five significant trophies in charge of Feyenoord, including one Eredivisie title in 2016-17, after which he spent just under a year in charge of Chinese outfit Guangzhou City.

The 50-year-old returned to British shores with Rangers in late 2021, guiding the Gers to Scottish Cup stardom and the Europa League final, where they were beaten by Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties.

Following his Ibrox exit in 2022, Van Bronckhorst took a couple of years out of the game before being hired by Besiktas and winning the Turkish Super Cup in his first match in charge - an astounding 5-0 thumping of Galatasaray.

However, the Dutchman only lasted 20 games in the Besiktas dugout before being sacked, and he is now set to transition to a backroom role as Liverpool's Dutch revolution continues.

Written by
Ben Knapton