In 2017, LIVERPOOL came close to acquiring one of the top wingers in the world for a mere £2.5 million.

The 23-year-old winger for Real Madrid, Rodrygo, has disclosed that at the age of 16, he declined the opportunity to sign with the Reds.

In 2017, Real Madrid player Rodrygo came close to joining Liverpool.Credit: Since joining Real Madrid in 2019 from the Brazilian Club Santos, Alamy Rodríguez has grown to be an important member of the team.

But things may have turned out differently two years ago if he had said yes to a “very good” offer to join Liverpool.

Santos would have accepted the £2.5 million offer from the Anfield team if the winger hadn’t declined the offer on his own.

Rodrygo explained to The Guardian why he declined the chance to join the Premier League.”We didn’t close the deal because I didn’t want to,” he stated. Despite the excellent offer, I preferred to remain in Santos.

“My career would have benefited greatly from the career path they had promised me. In order to get ready for European football, I planned to complete my education in England.

Playing in Europe had always been a goal of mine. Everything was excellent, but my desire overruled everything else.

“My goal was to remain at Santos and contribute a little history to the team. That’s exactly what transpired: I was able to realize my dream of representing Santos. I did, however, come close to visiting Liverpool.””

Rodrygo moved to the Spanish capital after rejecting Liverpool, where he developed into one of the top wingers in European football.

In his four and a half seasons with Los Blancos, he has won a Fifa Club World Cup, three Spanish Suρer Cups, the Champions League, and two league titles.

The Brazilian has played for the team in more than 200 games, contributing 40 assists and 52 goals.

Due to his success at the club level, he was also selected for the Brazilian national team, where he played for the Selecao at the 2022 World Cup and received 22 caps.

This week, when Real Madrid takes on Manchester City in the Champions League quarterfinals, Rodrygo will get a tiny taste of what life in the Premier League may have been like.

Madrid will be looking for retribution after City destroyed them in the previous year’s semifinal with a 5-1 aggregate victory. The triple winners will be visiting Madrid in Spain.