Martinez favourite for Liverpool job

Roberto Martinez continues to lead the race to become Liverpool’s manager ahead of a reported second round of talks with the club.

The Wigan manager has already held preliminary discussions with the club, believed to be in Liverpool, on Sunday.

It came after Andre Villas-Boas, the other main candidate to take the spot left vacant by Kenny Dalglish, had a meeting with Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the club’s owners, in Boston at the end of last week.

Martinez is scheduled to hold a more formal round of discussions with Liverpool in the next few days.

He is expected to meet with chairman Tom Werner and Ed Weiss, FSG’s in-house lawyer.

Martinez, 38, is the favourite for the vacant position, with Villas-Boas his closest rival for the post.

Villas-Boas, who is available after being sacked by Chelsea in March, is believed to have made a favourable impression with FSG when he met them at their Boston base.

Despite his claim he is intent on choosing the ‘right project’ before committing himself, Villas-Boas is said to regard the Liverpool job as one of the most attractive in Europe.

Martinez was granted permission by Wigan to speak to Liverpool last Thursday after being sounded out about his interest in the post through third parties.

Liverpool have been rejected by several managers, including the likes of Brendan Rodgers, Frank de Boer and Juergen Klopp.