Fabrizio Romano confirmed on Tuesday that a deal had been reached, posting on social media: "BREAKING: Liverpool reach agreement in principle to appoint Andoni Iraola."
The 43-year-old Spaniard was identified as the priority candidate within hours of Arne Slot's dismissal on Saturday, following an end-of-season review conducted by sporting director Richard Hughes and chief executive of football Michael Edwards.
Slot's sacking came just one year after he led Liverpool to the Premier League title — the club's 20th — in his debut season at Anfield. His second campaign was far more turbulent: the Reds finished fifth with just 60 points, their lowest total since 2015-16, and were eliminated from the Champions League before the knockout rounds. Fenway Sports Group said in a statement that "change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward."
Iraola leaves Bournemouth having transformed the south coast club across three seasons, guiding them to sixth place in the Premier League this season — their highest-ever finish — and into the Europa League for the first time in their history. He announced in April that he would not be extending his contract.
His appointment has a particular resonance at Anfield. It was Hughes himself who first brought Iraola to English football, appointing him at Bournemouth in 2023 when the sporting director was working at the Vitality Stadium. The relationship between the two is considered a key factor in the speed at which talks have progressed.
Iraola began his managerial career with AEK Larnaca before spells in Spain with Mirandés and Rayo Vallecano. He is expected to bring Bournemouth assistant Tommy Elphick with him to Anfield. Elphick, 38, recently turned down the Bristol City managerial position to follow Iraola.
Liverpool will aim to complete formalities and make a public announcement before the World Cup gets under way.