Christoph Winterling, commercial and marketing director at Serie A club Bologna, was offered a similar role at Champions League holders Liverpool.
However, as reported by the print edition of Corriere dello Sport [via Sport Witness], he turned down the job offer from the Premier League club, saying that he feels that Bologna have a "bright future".
Corriere dello Sport stated [via Sport Witness] that Winterling is targeting European qualification with Bologna, with both Inter and AC Milan reportedly wanting him as well.
Perhaps Winterling has very strong faith in the project at Bologna, because Liverpool would surely seem a very attractive proposition from a commercial as well as a footballing point of view.
In Jurgen Klopp's four seasons as Reds manager, the team has gone from eighth in the Premier League to two consecutive fourth-place finishes and second last season. [via TransferMarkt]
In European competition, Liverpool have played in three major finals since 2016, going from missing out on Europe altogether in 2016/17 to competing in the last two Champions League finals, winning it this year. [via TransferMarkt]
Liverpool are eighth in Forbes' list of the world's most valuable football clubs, with a valuation of $2.18bn (£1.73bn), a 12% increase on 2018, with revenues of $613m (£484.86m) and an operating income of $128m (£101.24m).
The Liverpool Echo reported that the club took in more than £250m from winning the Champions League and finishing second in the Premier League last season.
Liverpool are also at the centre of a tug-of-war between New Balance and Nike over the rights to supply the club's kits, as reported by the Liverpool Echo. The former currently hold the contract but the latter are working on a £70m deal to team up with the Anfield club, as per The Athletic.
The club's social media following illustrates its global appeal, with Liverpool ninth in the world for this metric, according to the Global Digital Football Benchmark [via Inside Sport], which stated that the Reds have 32 million Facebook fans, 11 million Instagram followers, 12 million Twitter followers and one million YouTube subscribers, with a further 11 million connections on other social platforms.
Liverpool's booming fortunes both on and off the field should make them a hugely attractive commercial proposition, so Winterling must have strong faith in Bologna if he turned down the Premier League club to stay with his current employers.
Once the Reds keep getting results on the pitch and raking in the money off it, though, they shouldn't be unduly affected by Winterling's decision to snub them for Bologna.
Liverpool fans, what do you make of the unsuccessful approach for Winterling? Comment below with your views!