LIVERPOOL almost snapped up one of the world’s best wingers for just £2.5m back in 2017.
Real Madrid winger Rodrygo, 23, has revealed that he turned down the chance to join the Reds when he was just 16 years old.
Rodrygo has become a huge part of the Real Madrid side since joining the club from Brazilian team Santos in 2019.
However things could have been different had he accepted what he describes as a “very good” offer to join Liverpool two years prior.
The Anfield outfit had tabled a £2.5m deal that Santos were willing to accept had the winger not turned down the move himself.
Speaking to The Guardian, Rodrygo revealed why he snubbed the opportunity to move to the Premier League.
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He said: “We didn’t close the deal because I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay at Santos even though the offer was very good.
“The pathway they promised me would also have been very good for my career. I was going to finish my studies in England to prepare for European football.
“It had always been my dream to play in Europe. Everything was very good, but my desire spoke louder.
“I wanted to stay at Santos and make a bit of history at the club. And that’s what happened: I was able to fulfil my dream of playing for Santos. But it’s true, I almost went to Liverpool.”
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After turning Liverpool down Rodrygo made his move to the Spanish capital where he has grown into one of the best wingers in European football.
He has won the Champions League, two league titles, three Spanish super cups and a Fifa Club World Cup in his four and a half seasons with Los Blancos.
The Brazilian has made over 200 appearances for the club scoring 52 goals and registering 40 assists in the process.
His efforts at club level also earned him a spot in the Brazilian national team where he has collected 22 caps and represented the Selecao at the 2022 World Cup.
Rodrygo will get a small taste of what life in the Premier League could have been like this week when Real Madrid face Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Madrid host the treble winners in Spain and they will be hoping for revenge after City tore them apart in last year’s semi final with a 5-1 aggregate win.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
