The agent of Real Madrid winger Rodrygo has confirmed that Liverpool were interested in the Brazilian prior to his switch to the Bernabeu.
The 19-year-old was highly coveted after bursting onto the scene at Santos, and Madrid eventually won the race for his signature in 2018, agreeing a €45m (£39.2m) deal to join one year later.
However, the youngster's agent Nick Arcuri has revealed that Liverpool tried to poach Rodrygo before he had even signed his first professional contract with Santos.
"When Rodrygo went to make 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," Arcuri is quoted as saying by the Liverpool ECHO.
"He had entered YouTube, searched 'talents from Brazil', Rodrygo had appeared and he was very young. He came to Brazil, 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, then president of Santos. Modesto didn't accept. It was Rodrygo's sale so when he turned 18 he'd go to Liverpool. It turned out that Santos didn't want to sell Rodrygo and made the first professional contract. So it was Rodrygo's first official proposal, he was 16 and it was Liverpool."
Rodrygo has since made 18 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring seven goals.
Barney Corkhill
