Fabrizio Romano anticipates Liverpool will spend more money this summer. They’ve spent a fair bit already, but then why not?
Arne Slot surprised a few when he led the Reds to the Premier League title last season, surprised a few when he did it having spent very little in the 2024 summer market, bringing over a £12.5m man in Federico Chiesa, who sat in Mohamed Salah’s shadow all year long.
But that was all. And so now that Liverpool are Premier League champions, having invested nominally over the past two years, they have been granted by FSG a war chest which has been used on a range of thrilling signings.
Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong have buttressed the wide banks; Florian Wirtz is a Liverpool player, leaving Bayer Leverkusen along with Frimpong in a deal worth £116m. That’s a British record. Giorgi Mamardashvili, a 24-year-old goalkeeper with lofty ambitions, has completed his move from Valencia too.
And now, Hugo Ekitike is on the cusp of sealing his own move, there or thereabouts completing Liverpool’s frontline.
Hugo Ekitike and what comes next
Ekitike is all but a Liverpool player. Only the official announcement remains. The Eintracht Frankfurt forward is 23, and he is already “one of the best strikers out there”, as analyst Ben Mattinson has put it.
Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes no doubt feel they have hit the jackpot.
Ekitike will prove a big upgrade on Darwin Nunez, who is expected to leave Liverpool this summer. But more is needed at the front of the ship.
Chiesa may also be on the move after his disappointing debut season, and Luis Diaz is the subject of Bayern Munich’s focused interest. A £58.5m bid was knocked back last week, and the Bundesliga champions plan to return with an improved offer.
Diaz, 28, wants a better contract, but one does not appear to be forthcoming. He has less than two years remaining at Liverpool, so cashing in for a hefty fee might be the track to go down.
And anyway, Liverpool have set their sights on the perfect replacement.
Liverpool in talks with Diaz replacement
Over the past several weeks, Liverpool have emerged as contenders for Real Madrid winger Rodrygo, who is slated to leave Xabi Alonso’s side this summer after being informed he had slipped down the pecking order.
And now, according to Foot Mercato, Liverpool have been engaged in recent talks with the player’s camp as they look to complete a stunning transfer, although official contacts with Real Madrid have yet to take place.
The 24-year-old is also wanted by Arsenal and has been priced at £87m by Los Blancos, so there’s a lot to consider on FSG’s part.
Why Liverpool want Rodrygo
Rodrygo is a talented forward, but he’s been limited somewhat at Real Madrid over the past year, rarely playing in his favoured left-sided attacking role and overshadowed by the likes of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.
Still, in spite of his going 17 matches in a row without a goal before the 2024/25 season wrapped up, Rodrygo managed to notch 25 goal involvements across the campaign – the same as Diaz – and showcased his slick technical quality, ranked among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues last season for pass completion and the top 14% for progressive carries per 90, as per FBref.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
This completeness of style has even led to FBref’s data-driven algorithms linking Wirtz and former Reds target Khvicha Kvaratskhelia being two of his most comparable players, and if through the lens of these comparisons that we better understand why FSG are so intent on bringing him over to Merseyside.
Rodrygo has the natural silkiness of movement that aligns with Paris Saint-Germain’s Kvaratskhelia, who is regarded as one of the game’s pre-eminent current ball carriers. Mattinson had also praised him, saying of the Georgian: “Superstar ability but works like a dog off the ball.”
And then Rodrygo is also blessed with a certain creative flair and incisiveness in front of goal that isn’t too dissimilar to Liverpool’s record signing, who, across the past two campaigns with Leverkusen, has posted 34 goals and 35 assists across all competitions.
24/25
31 (25)
10
13
23/24
32 (26)
11
12
22/23
17 (11)
1
6
21/22
24 (22)
7
10
20/21
29 (25)
5
6
The Brazil forward provides potent support each year, but his La Liga form left something to be desired last year. As per Sofascore, though, he only missed one big chance, converting six more.
At his finest, Rodrygo is regarded to be “on a different level”, as said by talent scout Jacek Kulig, in the same way that Wirtz and Kvaratskhelia demand awe when at their rip-roaring best.
Wirtz, indeed, is incredibly sharp in the crucial moments, often making the right decision as he places a weighted pass into a teammate’s pocket of space, or making the perfect shimmy as he skips to the side and unleashes a pinpoint strike on goal.
While Rodrygo has work to do until he reaches that level, which he is capable of, you’d think that at Liverpool on the left, he would have the freedom and renewed confidence to go from strength to strength.
After all, the versatile forward has demonstrated over a number of years his aptitude in the Champions League, so often coming up trumps on Europe’s biggest stage.
With the athleticism of a superstar like Kvaratskhelia and the innate attacking sharpness of Liverpool’s new star recruit, Rodrygo could be exactly what Slot is looking for, and must be signed if Diaz does indeed go.
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ByAngus Sinclair Jul 23, 2025