Arsenal is seemingly engaged in negotiations to secure the signature of Real Madrid’s forward Rodrygo, who might well have been a current Liverpool player under different circumstances.
The Spanish club is reportedly open to parting with the Brazilian, whom they acquired from Santos back in 2018. Rodrygo penned a new deal in 2023 that runs until 2028, featuring a staggering release clause of €1billion ($1.3 billion). Nonetheless, should Arsenal finalize a deal for the South American star, it’s unlikely they’ll need to fork out anywhere near that sum, with Rodrygo believed to be obtainable for approximately £67.5M ($90.6M).
While Mikel Arteta‘s team is actively pursuing him, Jurgen Klopp – during his tenure as Liverpool manager – went to great lengths to entice the adaptable winger to Anfield, only to be beaten by Real Madrid’s intervention. Klopp’s interest was so profound that he even boarded a plane to meet the then-youngster in person, as revealed by Rodrygo’s agent.
In a 2020 interview with Canal do Nicola, Rodrygo’s representative, Nick Arcuri, disclosed: “When Rodrygo went to sign his first professional contract with Santos, aged 16, a Liverpool director called me saying that Klopp already knew the player, had seen the material, had already come to see Rodrygo personally.
“He had gone on YouTube, searched ‘talents from Brazil’. Rodrygo had appeared and he was very young. He (Klopp) came to Brazil, and liked him.
“They contacted me, the Liverpool director wanted him to be his first signing, Rodrygo. I went to England, sat in London, Liverpool have an office in London. I brought the proposal to Modesto [Roma Junior], then president of Santos. Modesto didn’t accept.
“It turned out that Santos didn’t want to sell Rodrygo and instead made the first professional contract. But it was Rodrygo’s first official proposal, he was 16 and it was Liverpool.”
(Image: 2025 Getty Images)
Arsenal is rumored to be keeping tabs on the player’s situation at the Bernabeu, which could see Rodrygo making his way to the Emirates. According to reports from Sky Deutschland, dialogue has been sparked between the Gunners, their new transfer maestro Andrea Berta, and the player’s team.
Rodrygo, while usually found on the right flank for Los Blancos, can interchangeably play on either side, aligning with Arteta’s ambitions to sign a centre-forward and a left-sided winger for the upcoming season; Rodrygo perfectly fits the profile for the latter.
In response to queries about potential interest in players like Rodrygo on Thursday, Arteta remarked: “If you want to win major trophies, you have to be the best in the market, no? The teams that win always have the best players.
“I wouldn’t like to name a player, but there is pride because we have brought the club into a position that next season people are saying: ‘You have to win a major trophy.’ And that means that everybody believes, and that we are an elite team in this country and in Europe. The biggest statement is that Arsenal is there.
“What is clear with the amount of injuries that we had in the front line is that we need a goal threat and we need firepower. Understanding that the context can change tomorrow, we cannot rely just on the numbers that we had before. We have to add goals, creativity, and we have to add numbers, and that will be in different positions.”
Since relocating to the Spanish capital in 2019, Rodrygo has racked up two Champions League titles and three La Liga crowns, amassing 68 goals and 50 assists across 267 outings for the European heavyweights.
