Liverpool told to ‘expect news’ with record-shattering bid lodged to Real Madrid – report

Claims in Spain that Liverpool have launched an eye-watering offer to sign Rodrygo and will soon learn Real Madrid’s answer have been clarified by sources – while Arne Slot has come clean on the current goalscoring drought endured by the man he’s earmarked to replace, Mo Salah.

The talismanic Egyptian star is now just 85 days away from his contract at Anfield expiring and potentially leaving the club as a free agent. Given Salah is currently enjoying the best individual season of his tremendous Liverpool career, his departure would leave Arne Slot with a near-impossible hole to fill in their side.

In while reports in recent days have raised the possibility of Salah signing a new deal to extend the 32-year-old’s stay on Merseyside, the Reds continue to be linked with several high-quality replacements should the 243-goal winger decide to reject their advances.

Now, fanciful reports in Spain claim Liverpool have launched an offer worth a club-record shattering €140m (£119m, $153.3m) on Real Madrid for Rodrygo, amid claims that the Brazilian winger is now FSG’s top pick to replace Salah at Anfield next season.

Per Fichajes, they state that the 24-year-old has ‘caught the attention’ of the Reds and that they can ‘expect news soon’ having ‘put on the table’ an offer worth €140m for the ‘striker’.’

They claim the decision is based on FSG’s determination not to be ‘left behind’ by the prospect of losing Salah and that ‘negotiations over his sale can begin in the next few days’.

With their interest in the star described as ‘serious’, it’s stated that Rodrygo is regarded as a perfect player for Slot’s system and ‘one who can perform from day one’.

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Are Liverpool really in for Rodrygo?

Rodrygo has developed into a fine player under Carlo Ancelotti’s management at the Bernabeu, scoring 68 goals and adding 46 assists in 261 appearances over his four seasons at the club, winning LaLiga title three times and also the Champions League on two occasions.

And it’s not the first time he’s been linked with a move to Anfield before, with the 33-times capped Brazil winger persistently talked up as a possible long-term heir for Salah at Anfield.

While even Real Madrid would struggle to reject such a sizeable offer for the player, the reports from Spain should be treated with extreme caution.

Indeed, journalist Ben Jacobs, writing for TEAMtalk last month, insisted that there were no advanced discussions between Rodrygo and Liverpool, or indeed with the winger and any other club.

Jacobs also stated that Rodrygo is not looking to leave Real Madrid, and would be unlikely to consider Liverpool if Salah renews given they share the same primary position.

And with regards to Salah, the reporter also stated that optimism is growing at Anfield that a new deal with the Egyptian will soon be ironed out.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot, meanwhile, has batted away concerns over Salah amid the player’s longest goalscoring drought of the season, with the 32-year-old having gone four games without a goal before Sunday’s match at Fulham.

“For me it’s simple,” Slot said of Salah. “Sometimes the fixture list is more difficult than other periods of the season, so you face Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle in a final and a derby. He hasn’t scored in three, so that’s why he has to score on Sunday (laughs). Hopefully he will.

“Paris Saint-Germain is one of the best teams in Europe at the moment, Newcastle in the final, oof, they were all over it, and Everton, with 10 people in their 18-yard box all the time, it’s so difficult to score a goal against them – not only for us, look back at all the teams, expected goal value, chances created. Goals scored against is difficult for everyone.

“He (Salah) is completely the same, but I know Mo, and you probably know him as well, he lives for goals. It would be weird if he was ‘oh, I’m happy I didn’t score’ but he’s not distracted or like ‘I can’t play football any more’.

“No, Mo knows probably his biggest quality is he can play a poor game and still score a goal. So his head is not all over the place. Not at all.

“Of course, he is disappointed with us not winning the final, not going through in Europe. That is why he scores so many goals, because he wants it so much. So, yes, there were probably periods this season he smiled a bit more but that’s not just him, that’s for Virgil, that’s for all the players.”

Liverpool transfer latest: Game-changing triple deal; Chiesa exit talk clarified

Meanwhile, Liverpool are reported to have earmarked THREE defensive signings this summer with Slot planning for life after Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson – and with the first of those deals starting to gather serious pace.

Slot is also reportedly considering swooping for a tigerish Aston Villa midfielder, amid claims the Villans may soon be forced to offer the star a ‘huge’ pay rise.

Elsewhere, with the hunt for a new striker also underway, it’s been claimed that Liverpool have opened talks for Hugo Ekitike as they try to beat Manchester United and Arsenal to the signing of the Eintracht Frankfurt ace.

On the outgoing front, some clarity has arrived over the future of Federico Chiesa amid claims the winger is a target for four Italian sides and with a trusted reporter having revealed exactly where the winger sees himself next season.

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