Slot, the man who is expected to become Liverpool's next king, had lit the blue touch paper in a pre-match press conference. The first leg between the sides had ended in a 1-1 draw.
Reports emerged on Wednesday evening that Xavi had decided to perform a dramatic U-turn to stay at Barcelona after holding a meeting with the club's directors.
Anfield officials contacted the Dutch champions on Wednesday with a first offer of compensation for the 49-year-old, who does not have a release clause in his contract with Feyenoord.
LEWIS STEELE: Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk insists his team do not deserve to win the league after their meek surrender in the Merseyside Derby defeat.
Jamie Carragher believes there is a rift between outgoing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and chief Michael Edwards - citing the return of the latter is because of the German's imminent exit.
The Championship club confirmed his death in a statement on Thursday morning as they paid tribute to their former player.
Fernandes, 29, has been one of the bright sparks at Old Trafford in recent years, adding 143 goal contributions in 229 games since his 2020 move from Sporting Lisbon.
Roy Keane has urged he could 'never forgive himself' as a Manchester United player in a furious rant about his former team after they were embarrassed by Coventry in the FA Cup semi-final.
Clattenburg has recently made headlines after Nottingham Forest released a statement accusing VAR Stuart Attwell of showing favouritism towards Luton in the relegation battle.
Gary Neville (right) has revealed he will not be covering Nottingham Forest 's Premier League clash with title-chasing Man City on Sunday amid the club's row with Sky over his 'mafia' jibe.
The 1975 singer reportedly didn't sign a non-disclosure agreement during his brief fling with Taylor Swift so is now free to pen his own songs about their romance.
Rooney criticised Van Dijk's post-match comments, with the former Man United and Everton star hitting out at the Liverpool captain for twice referencing their early kick-off on Saturday.
The Socceroos icon won the Champions League with Liverpool and excelled at the World Cup - and now he's just 90-odd minutes away from an achievement to rival anything he's done before.
Liverpool are closing in on Arne Slot as they work on a deal with Feyenoord to make him their next manager and succeed Jurgen Klopp in the dug-out at Anfield.
NATHAN SALT: To add to what has been a miserable season for Sheffield United, they have now conceded 92 goals in the league, surpassing Derby's record across a 38-match season.
CRAIG HOPE AT SELHURST PARK: Even the military horses who caused panic when bolting through the streets of London would have turned back if confronted by Jean-Philippe Mateta.
MANCHESTER UNITED 4-2 SHEFFIELD UNITED - CHRIS WHEELER AT OLD TRAFFORD: Nothing is straightforward for Manchester United at this moment in what has been a tough season.
PLAYER RATINGS: Mail Sport's Lewis Steele rates how both Sean Dyche and Jurgen Klopp 's players performed during the Premier League fixture.
EVERTON 2-0 LIVERPOOL - IAN LADYMAN AT GOODISON PARK: No surprise that the opening to the game was frantic. No surprise that this suited Everton down to the ground.
