Liverpool ready to pay £78m for ‘superstar’ signing

Liverpool started 2026 with a labored draw against Leeds United at Anfield, and it was a game that illustrated the myriad of creative and preparation problems. Arne Slot is still perplexed.

It’s quite one thing to have broken the British transfer record last summer and brought in a number of elite attacking players, only to then regress so significantly.

Disgruntled looks were turned towards Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, but the South American duo faced down their detractors throughout their time on Merseyside, ebbing and flowing in front of goal. This is worth considering.

Alexandre Isakcurrently out with a broken leg, has been well below the expected standard, and Florian Wirtz is also flattering to deceive – are Liverpool already considering upgrading the German playmaker?

Liverpool line up attacking midfielder

The crux of Liverpool’s problems is tactical in nature, but Wirtz is not blameless. The 22-year-old lacks the creativity, acuity and athleticism expected after a £116million purchase, although he has undoubtedly gone from strength to strength in recent weeks.

But with Dominik Szoboszlai So strong in a number ten spot, it may be necessary for sporting director Richard Hughes to bring in a winger, even if it comes at Wirtz’s personal expense. Liverpool need better balance, more fluidity, after all.

It appears FSG is on board, with Spanish sources revealing that Liverpool are preparing a bid worth €90m (converted to around £78m) for Real Madrid star Rodrygo, who is considering his options at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Arsenal and Manchester City are also among those interestedthe Anfield team will therefore have to act quickly.

Why Rodrygo could be an upgrade from Wirtz

Rodrygo, 24, is one of the best strikers in the world, and if he left Real Madrid in January he would be leaving a two-time La Liga and Champions League winner, with 70 goals and 55 assists in all competitions.

Los Blancos are not brimming with talent, and Rodrygo has deservedly taken a regular starting spot alongside Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe in the frontline in recent years, but he has had a less than impressive 2025, going 32 games without a goal before facing Manchester City in the Champions League in December.

He has enjoyed some improvement in form recently in Xabi Alonso’s system, but it is clear that Rodrygo needs a change of scenery if he is to establish himself as a talismanic force for a team competing at the pinnacle of European football.

Liverpool could offer him this olive branch after many battles in recent years.

Given Rodrygo’s natural skills as a winger and his desire to cut inside and score, he could be just what Slot’s team needs, offering more depth and balance than Cody Gakpo and more skill than Wirtz, whose future surely lies in a more central position.

Examining the respective statistics of the “superstars” over the past year underlines this.

Rodrygo and Wirtz aren’t too different as players, but it’s clear that the Los Blancos man is sharper with his pace, while Wirtz is a quick dribbler, but not someone to dominate up and down the wing.

It is for this reason that Rodrygo would be an ‘upgrade’ to the Germany international, ironing out the flaws in Liverpool’s attacking system, restoring the balance that has been unbalanced for some time – Liverpool’s 52% winning percentage in the 2025 FY underlines the depth of Slot’s struggles in the dugout.

That, and the fact that Rodrygo is a “world class superstar” for himself, as Real legend Luka Modric said. He has the potential to become a leading man in the Premier League, and he has the track record to back it up.

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