Liverpool have reportedly moved to sign Santos wonderkid Rodrygo after submitting a proposal to the Brazilian club for the striker
Brazilian publication Globoesporte are claiming that Liverpool are interested in Santos wonderkid Rodrygo. The striker is very highly-rated within the Santos setup and in Brazil too. And, the Reds have made the first move in order to secure the future of the prodigy at Anfield, with a proposal submitted to Santos.
Liverpool have been on the lookout for a reliable striker to lead their attack, after Daniel Sturridge’s injury-dampened career has frustrated the Kop army for long, and now Klopp is feeling the frustration as well, with the German reportedly set to let the Englishman leave in the summer.
Aside from Sturridge, Liverpool are really lost in the options available. Divock Origi’s inconsistent performances have proven that he is far from the ideal striker to lead Liverpool, which desire for the addition of a striker within the ranks at Anfield.
Klopp has often promoted young players with massive potential during his managerial stay at Mainz, Borussia Dortmund and now Liverpool as well. And, the nurturing nature of the German could make Anfield the perfect destination for Rodrygo to grow into a world-beater.
The report did not reveal the details of the proposal but entailed that the bid has shocked both Santos and the player, who want the same thing – for Rodrygo to continue in Brazil. The player hasn’t made the senior grade at Santos yet and feels like it is imperative to develop and prove himself in Brazil first before making the move to Europe.
Santos want to tie down 17 year old Brazilian forward Rodrygo (dubbed the new Neymar) after an approach from Liverpool. [Globo Esporte] #LFC pic.twitter.com/MDf9W5uJUJ
— LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) March 1, 2017
Santos, too, are trying to hold on to the 17-year-old. While the club did not pay much heed to Rodrygo when he first expressed his interest to sign his first professional deal with Santos, the club are now trying to speed up and finalise the player’s first pro-deal with Rodrygo in an attempt to keep him in Brazil.
The report also claims that the club and the player’s camp – the player himself and his family – want various details inserted into the contract. The club wants to insert sanctions that culminates into a hefty fine if the player does end up leaving the club.
Rodrygo’s family on the other hand, want the deal to have regular increments and bonuses as part of the professional deal along with the matter of Santos taking financial care of the housing, education and marketing aspect of the player’s career.
The report does state that Rodrygo has already caught the eye of first-team coach Dorival Junior, and that the 17-year-old is likely to make the jump to the senior team at Santos in 2017, and perhaps, soon.
Rodrygo joined the club at the age of 11 after a short stint with Sao Paulo and his talent has always been undeniable.
The fact that the prodigy was the youngest player to sign a deal with Nike, at the age of 11, while Neymar, the golden boy of the current Brazilian generation, had signed a similar deal at the age of 13, speaks volumes of the potential the player possesses.
However, we have seen players being hyped too early into their career and not make it at the professional grade – like Freddy Adu. However, the report indicates the player already feels he must prove himself before making a big money move to Europe, which is a positive sign that indicates the player is well grounded despite the speculation.
It would be intriguing to see how the player develops and whether he is able to scale the heights that he is touted to reach.
