Michael Edwards has left his role as chief executive of football with Liverpool‘s owners Fenway Sports Group.

FSG said Edwards’ departure is part of a “planned transition following the completion of key strategic priorities”, while group president Mike Gordon said the owners are “naturally disappointed” about his exit.

He leaves two years into a three-year contact, having begun a second spell working closely with Liverpool in March 2024, when he was hired by FSG to oversee the transition from the Jurgen Klopp era.

In a statement, Edwards said: “Liverpool is in a strong position, with outstanding people, a clear direction and the foundations in place for continued success.

“When I returned, I was excited not only by the opportunity to help guide Liverpool through an important period of transition, but also by the chance to help shape FSG’s wider football ambitions.

“While that broader project ultimately evolved differently to how we had originally envisaged, I am proud of the work our team undertook in presenting ownership with a broad range of thoughtful and well-developed options for the future.”

Replacing Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah will be a key challenge for Liverpool in the new season, after the team’s long-time talisman left at the end of the last campaign.

Speculation has been mounting that the club’s sporting director, Richard Hughes, could also be on the move.

Edwards originally joined Liverpool in 2011 and was promoted to sporting director in 2016 before leaving in the summer of 2022.

During that period he established a reputation for delivering success in the transfer market.

Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Andy Robertson and Virgil van Dijk were among the players recruited, and they helped the Reds end a 30-year wait for a top-flight league title in 2020.

Klopp’s replacement, Arne Slot, won the Premier League title at the first time of asking in 2024-25, but a disappointing follow-up campaign led to him being replaced by Andoni Iraola.