In news that might surprise Liverpool supporters, one player’s agent has opened up on the lengths that Jurgen Klopp went to, in order to sign his client when he was just 16 years of age.
Brazilian wunderkind, Rodrygo Goes, is now plying his trade at the Santiago Bernabeu after signing a deal with Real Madrid and joining up with international team-mate, Vinicius Jr.
However, his agent, Nick Acuri, told journalist Jorge Nicola during a live YouTube chat, reported by the Daily Express, that Klopp was determined to get his man.
“When Rodrygo went to make his first professional contract with Santos, aged 16, a Liverpool director called me,” Arcuri said.
“He said that Klopp already knew the player, had seen the material, had already come to see Rodrygo personally. 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 (Michael Edwards) wanted him to be his first signing […] 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.”
Though the youngster is yet to fully make his mark in the Spanish capital, a potential clear-out at Los Blancos, which might be expected to happen sooner rather than later, should see Rodrygo having every chance of cementing a place for himself in a future Zinedine Zidane starting XI.
If he can recapture the form that he showed when scoring a perfect Champions League hat-trick against Galatasaray earlier this season, then Real have got some player on their hands.
Jurgen Klopp may well be following his progress with a rueful smile.