Liverpool was supposedly close to signing a Real Madrid forward who Kylian Mbappé could replace in 2018. Now, Jürgen Klopp could go back in for him again.

There are always players linked with Liverpool who are perpetually in the gossip columns for ages but never actually arrive. Arda Turan was one of those and Real Madrid’s Fede Valverde might be destined to be another.

Now, with one eye on who might eventually replace Mohamed Salah at Anfield, several more in that category are likely to emerge. Liverpool and Real Madrid were linked (via Fichajes) with a move for Rafael Leão this week, for instance. At $160m (£131m/€150m) and having been mentioned as a possible Reds target in the past, perhaps he might be another to join the already fairly large group.

Liverpool will need to sign someone to replace Salah, though, even if that ends up not being for a few more years. And the latest link feels like it makes sense a little bit more.

Given that Real Madrid is lining up a move for Kylian Mbappé, Fichajes now reports that there are two reasons to believe that Brazilian star Rodrygo could be on the move: firstly to generate funds (while Mbappé will be out of contract, he will be anything but ‘free’) but also to open up a space in the squad for the French superstar to vacate.

Fellow Los Blancos attacker Vinícius Júnior is deemed as being ‘untouchable’ and therefore the report says that Rodrygo is the one who will be sacrificed. A price tag of at least $107m (£87m/€100m) is suggested, which is around double what the Spanish outfit paid for the winger.

Rodrygo moved to Real Madrid in 2019, signing from the same club in Brazil that Neymar emerged from. The then-18-year-old had already played 63 times for Santos at that point and he does not turn 23 until January.

Since moving to Real Madrid, Rodrygo has scored 17 times in 113 appearances and has also played 16 times so far for Brazil. Those are numbers that can improve, but his talent is clear.

Liverpool’s home shirt for the 2023/2024 campaign pays homage to Bill Shankly and the legendary Reds manager’s final season in charge at Anfield. The Nike shirt features a bright red design with a bold white contrast on the colour and cuffs.

The suggestion of Liverpool’s interest is nothing new. The former Brazil and Manchester City midfielder Elano told The Guardian in 2022 that he persuaded then Santos president, Modesto Roma Júnior, to abandon plans to sell Rodrygo to Liverpool for only $3.2m (£2.6m/€3.0m) when he was 16, only for Real Madrid to agree to buy him for around 15 times that sum a year later.

Real Madrid has been keen to snap up every talented Brazilian forward going since missing out on Neymar to Barcelona. It was decided that could not be allowed to happen again and while Rodrygo has not his those levels yet, he has been a key man since arriving from South America.

This time, the supposed Liverpool interest stems from a feeling that Salah could depart. The interest from Saudi Arabia in the Egyptian is strong and next summer he will only have a year left on his Anfield contract. It is possible, though far from preferable, that Salah succession planning might currently need to be taking place.

As with almost every player to be linked with Liverpool as a possible Salah ‘successor’ — and there will be plenty more until he either leaves or signs a new deal — the ideal solution would simply be to delay the exit of the Liverpool number 11 for as long as possible.

When he does go, though, even if that is in a few years, Rodrygo is young enough to be a viable alternative on the list. Time will tell as to whether he will become another Turan, or whether there is some truth to the matter.