Liverpool's director of football Michael Edwards could reportedly leave the club in January with RB Leipzig leading the race for his signature.

Edwards is viewed as one of the best in the business after he helped turn Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side into Champions League and Premier League winners.

However, his contract with the Reds expires in the summer and reports earlier this year claimed Edwards had informed Liverpool bosses he would leave at the end of the season. 

Michael Edwards holds a stellar reputation but is reportedly set to quit Liverpool in the summer

According to German news outlet SportBild, Edwards is a 'hot candidate' to assume the role at Leipzig, given how the Bundesliga club have been searching for a new sporting director since May.

The report goes on to claim that Leipzig have 'set their sights' on Edwards and are even expecting him to join as early as January.

Leipzig chief Oliver Mintzlaff has reportedly identified Edwards as the 'desired candidate' and is already in talks with the Reds director. 

Since Edwards took on the role of sporting director in November 2016, Liverpool won the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League the following season, when they also lifted the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

They also finished runners-up in the Champions League in 2018 and in the league the following year.

Sportsmail understands the situation was not yet 'finalised' and that it was possible Edwards could still perform a U-turn and extend his stay at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp seemed unperturbed by the uncertainty over the future of one of the club's key figures.

'We've worked together for six years and I don't think I've had a different sporting director,' the German told The Sun. 'But it's not my decision to do these kinds of things, so I don't know.

'You need to ask other people about this, but over contracts, we don't discuss, right. So I will not start now with the sporting director.

'That's really interesting, I've never spoken before about the contract of a sporting director. 

'If it was my point of view, if it expires next year, which I didn't know exactly, I will think about that next year and not now.'

Edwards has developed a reputation for being a shrewd operator in the transfer market and has played a pivotal role in restoring the Reds to the summit of English and European football.

In his decade-long spell at Anfield, Edwards was one of the architects behind several key signings such as Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Virgil Van Djik, Sadio Mane and Alisson.

Edwards was also part of the 'transfer committee' that sanctioned Philippe Coutinho's departure to Barcelona for £142 million in January 2018 – the highest fee Liverpool have ever received for a player.

Having joined from Tottenham in 2011 as Liverpool's head of performance and analysis, Edwards subsequently became the club's director of technical performance and then moved onto the technical director role.