A former coach at Brazilian club Santos has revealed that Real Madrid wonderkid Rodrygo could have joined Liverpool before making the switch to Spain.

Ex-Manchester City midfielder Elano was assistant manager at Santos when the teenager came through the ranks, and he confirmed that the Reds did hold talks over signing the player before he turned professional:

“There was a period when there was very strong negotiation from Liverpool for him to leave when he was still at the academy. The amount was very low, but they wanted to go. The offer from Real later was around €30m more (laughs).”

Rodrygo has made the headlines this week after scoring a perfect hat-trick in Real’s 6-0 win over Galatasaray last night. Despite being just 18 years of age, he has broken into the first team this campaign after starting out the season in the reserves.

The Brazilian has been labelled the “new Neymar” by some observers, and after scoring five goals in his first six appearances for Real, it seems he is destined for great things.

Liverpool will probably regret missing out on Rodrygo but it’s good to know that the Reds’ scouting network is able to spot talent right across the world.