Liverpool have become used to losing out to Real Madrid, but not even Trent Alexander-Arnold signed his Los Blancos deal at Anfield.
Only Rodrygo has that honour, but his near-decade links with the Reds could finally come full circle with a transfer this summer.
talkSPORT understands that preliminary talks between Liverpool and Real Madrid over Rodrygo are believed to have taken place.
Luis Diaz is the subject of interest from Bayern Munich, while his fellow left-winger is similarly destined for pastures new.
The Brazilian made 51 appearances across all competitions for the Spanish giants last term as he registered 14 goals and 10 assists.
However, he has fallen out of favour under former Anfield hero, Xabi Alonso, with Gonzalo Garcia, Brahim Diaz and Arda Guler all being favoured to partner Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr in attack.
Having started and registered an assist in the 1-1 draw with Al Hilal in Madrid’s first Club World Cup game, Rodrygo played just 27 more minutes in the remainder of the US tournament.
He didn’t feature at all against Juventus and Pachuca, and was also an unused substitute in the 4-0 semi-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
But the man dubbed by Jude Bellingham as Madrid’s most gifted player has not been short of suitors, which includes Arsenal.
Liverpool need no convincing of Rodrygo’s talent, who became one of many players the club were beaten to the punch by Madrid.
In an alternate timeline, Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Rodrygo could have all been playing for the Reds.
To add further insult to injury, Madrid also managed to snare ex-Liverpool vice-captain and academy superstar Alexander-Arnold.
Rodrygo vs Luis Diaz
2024/25 Stats
Games: Rodrygo – 54, Luis Diaz – 50
Goals: Rodrygo – 14, Luis Diaz – 17
Assists: Rodrygo – 11, Luis Diaz – 8
The 15-time Champions League winners already had a history of finalising agreements for players near Anfield, as Rodrygo proved.
During Jurgen Klopp’s first full season in charge of the Reds, he had tried to sign the 24-year-old when he was only a teenager.
Liverpool’s chief executive of football, Michael Edwards, who returned to the club in 2024, was the sporting director that year in 2016.
Rodrygo was still plying his trade in his Brazil homeland, and Klopp flew to Sao Paulo personally to monitor his development.
The youngster had not yet signed his first professional contract, and Liverpool were desperate to get ahead of their European rivals.
His agent, Nick Arcuri, explained to Canal do Nicola in 2020: “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 came to Brazil and liked him. They contacted me, the Liverpool director wanted him to be his first signing, Rodrygo.”
Former Manchester City midfielder Elano was working at Santos in early 2017 when he got wind of Liverpool’s cut-price deal.
“I went to the board and said, ‘No, no, we can’t let him leave for this,'” He told BBC Sport.
“It was a 3m euro offer only, and the talks were already at an advanced stage. It was pretty much a done deal. They had a verbal agreement, but I insisted, ‘We can’t do this’.
“He was just 16 years old back then and, although the team had high hopes for him, it was not clear yet when he would be playing for the senior side. So I went to Rodrygo and told him, ‘We will promote you soon. You have my word.’
“A little while after, I ended up taking charge as a caretaker manager and so, much sooner than expected, I could do what I had promised him.
“I brought him to train with us and gave him his first minutes as a professional footballer.”
Rodrygo ultimately spent another season at Santos, but a year later, he was at Anfield signing for his new club… only it wasn’t Liverpool!
Most of the Kop had eyes on Alisson Becker, and former Red pair Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho when Brazil beat Croatia 2-0 at Anfield in a World Cup warm-up match in June 2018.
Yet just metres away from the pitch in a box at Liverpool’s historic ground, Rodrygo was finalising a move to Madrid.
On the eve of the game, Santos’ then president Jose Carlos Peres met Real’s chief scout Juni Calafat in a cafe next to Brazil’s team hotel in Merseyside.
“Our talk didn’t last more than 30 minutes. They had come to Liverpool to close a deal and were not willing to leave the table without one,” Peres told Bleacher Report.
Rodrygo has enjoyed a glut of success since arriving at the Santiago Bernabeu, winning the Champions League twice.
His greatest individual highlight remains his dramatic two late goals to complete a semi-final comeback win over Manchester City in 2022 en route to Madrid’s 1-0 triumph against Liverpool a month later.
That was one of the four wins he has against Liverpool from five games, having missed the 2-0 defeat last October through injury.
Explaining his decision to reject Liverpool last year, Rodrygo 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.”
By the time the summer transfer window shuts, that statement might be rephrased to – ‘It’s true, I went to Liverpool…’