Liverpool positioned to sign Neymar's SUCCESSOR

Liverpool are in line to sign Neymar's successor for the Brazilian national team. A major coup if they can pull it off.

Liverpool are now consistently linked with a move for Rodrygo in the Spanish press. The Brazilian is expected to leave Real Madrid this summer after looking surplus to requirements under Xabi Alonso.

Diogo Jota: Thank you

AS are the latest to make the link. They claim Liverpool are now at the front of the queue for Rodrygo, moving Arsenal to one side.

He's expected to cost around €100m if Real Madrid do indeed sell - potentially one of the biggest transfers of the entire window. Even if Liverpool are the one club where that wouldn't be the case.

But Rodrygo is available and if Luis Diaz departs this summer - and that's starting to look likely - then Liverpool will reportedly move for him. With that, they'd secure one of the most talented players in the world.

READ MORE: Diogo Jota's legacy is bigger than any of us realised

From Neymar to Rodrygo

Rodrygo Goes is someone Liverpool have tracked for a long, long time now. They initially wanted to grab him from Santos before the hype grew.

Santos, however, decided at the last minute to wait enough a year. They wanted to take a chance on that hype generating a much bigger sale down the line.

They were correct to do so, as it turned out. Rodrygo became a phenomenon and Real Madrid paid a lot of money to sign him.

From there, his reputation hasn't quite grown at the rate it should have. Rodrygo is pretty much fourth fiddle at Real Madrid right now and not considered to be a genuine superstar.

Only, he is. All the data suggests there's a much better player there than people realise - there's a reason Neymar considered him a successor for Brazil, after all.

Rodrygo tells the story of that to Podpah, as relayed by AS.

“Neymar said to me ‘I’m already leaving the national team and the 10 is yours’,” said Rodrygo. “I didn’t even know what to say to him.

"I was embarrassed, I giggled and didn’t even know what to say properly. I told him that he must play some more, that I didn’t want [him] to [do so] now. And then he laughed.”

Now, this one has a ways to go before Liverpool are signing Rodrygo. Diaz has to find a new club, a deal needs to be sealed there, then talks with Real Madrid would need to be positive.

READ MORE: How the gamer celebration became the world's way to honour Diogo Jota

He won't be arriving next week, in other words. But down the line? Things are very possible.

Rest in peace, Diogo Jota.

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