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Liverpool could reignite pursuit of €120m European star despite past rejection

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By Rohan Sengupta

Liverpool are yet to make a summer signing and the new Premier League season is less than a week away from starting. It is even more worrying because Arne Slot is the new head coach and he hasn’t exactly been backed by the board in the transfer market.

A host of players have been linked with the Reds since the start of the summer transfer window. One of those has been Real Madrid attacker Rodrygo Goes.

The Reds reportedly had a British transfer record fee rejected by Real Madrid for Rodrygo Goes in June. The Premier League giants had made an eye-watering €120m offer for the attacker, which Los Blancos had rebuffed.

Liverpool face PL competition to sign Real Madrid superstar who could leave after Kylian Mbappe transfer
Real Madrid may decide to sacrifice Rodrygo Goes amid Liverpool’s interest to make room for summer signing Kylian Mbappe up front in the upcoming season

However, with less than three weeks left for the transfer window to slam shut, there could be a twist in the tale for Rodrygo. According to a report from Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Liverpool could make a move for Rodrygo if an exit door opens from Real Madrid.

Real Madrid’s decision to reject a mega big from Liverpool for Rodrygo in June was some sort of assurance to the player that he’s still considered vital to the squad, despite the high-profile acquisition of Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain earlier this summer. But the aforementioned report claims the Brazil international is ‘likely to be sacrificed’ by Madrid to make room for Mbappe up front, leading to rumours about his departure ramping up again.

This has seemingly gone unnoticed at Liverpool, who have been interested in the attacker even before he joined Real Madrid from Santos in 2019. The 23-year-old has no desire to leave Santiago Bernabeu this summer even after Mbappe’s arrival has added more competition within the attacking ranks under boss Carlo Ancelotti.

But that hasn’t stopped Liverpool from keeping tabs on his situation, hoping to strike if a window of opportunity is presented in the final weeks of the transfer window. This perhaps stems from the fact that Mohamed Salah has entered the final 12 months of his contract (Transfermarkt) at Anfield, while Luis Diaz’s future remains up in the air amid interest from Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

Liverpool have decided to part ways with Luis Diaz in the final weeks of the summer transfer window

The Arne Slot-managed club are ready to part ways with Diaz for £50m—which comes as a big surprise considering there is so little time left in the transfer window to sign a replacement if he is indeed sold. There is no concrete evidence that Liverpool reigniting their interest in Rodrygo has led to them deciding to sell Diaz—a player who has been alright since arriving from FC Porto in January 2022.

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A player of Rodrygo’s calibre and pedigree would be a great fit in Slot’s system at Anfield. His ability to play in various attacking positions, combined with his high productivity, makes the Brazilian one of the best young players in the continent.

The 23-year-old could make a massive difference to Slot’s side if Liverpool can persuade Madrid to sell their star attacker. And the sale of Diaz could pave the way for a new attacker to come through the front door at Anfield; nonetheless, a move for Rodrygo so late in the window appears highly unlikely to happen.

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