Rodrygo tells how, for about €3 million, he nearly signed with Liverpool at the age of 16.

Rodrygo, a forward for Real Madrid, has disclosed how, seven years ago, he was on the verge of joining Liverpool as a teenager.

Due to Kylian Mbappe’s presence at the Bernabeu, the Brazilian was speculatively connected to a possible £86 million move to Liverpool this summer.

Rodrygo would be open to leaving the Spanish city if Real welcomes another Brazilian sensation, Endrick, to further intensify competition for spots in their attack.

Arsenal, Liverpool, and both Manchester teams are reportedly keeping an eye on the situation, but they are aware that a deal would only be feasible if Real Madrid listed the player for sale or if the player requested to transfer.

The 23-year-old now disclosed how close he was to signing with Liverpool in 2017 in a new interview with the Guardian—for a mere €3 million!

“I didn’t want to close the deal, so we didn’t,” he said.

“Even though the offer was very good, I wanted to stay at Santos.” The professional path they had assured me of would have been excellent as well. In order to get ready for European football, I intended to complete my education in England.

Rodrygo would have only been sixteen at the time, so maybe staying in his native country made sense.

“Playing in Europe has always been my dream,” he said after spending €40 million to join Real Madrid two years later.

“Everything was excellent, but my yearning was more audible. My intention was to remain at Santos and create some history with the club. That’s exactly what transpired: I was able to realise my ambition of representing Santos. I did, however, come close to visiting Liverpool.

A possible Salah replacement?

It’s intriguing that Liverpool looked to recruit a “wonderkid” from Brazil because supporters have been saying they ought to be doing that more frequently, like Real and Man City have lately.

With 15 goals and eight assists for Real this season, the adaptable attacker may eventually be considered as Mo Salah’s replacement at Anfield.

Rodyrgo, a pillar of the Brazil national team, has the build to take Salah’s place, and at 23, he still has plenty of development ahead of him.

His current contract expires in 2028; he signed a new one last year. One to watch out for, maybe.