Liverpool and Arsenal 'preparing bids' for £74m star as blockbuster January move touted

Liverpool will be one of the major clubs to watch out for in the January transfer window, as Arne Slot continues to assess how to get the best out of his players and turn around a heavy autumn slump.

Victory against West Ham United last time out stopped the rot of nine defeats in 12 matches, but it will take time for the champions to approach anywhere near where they were last term.

Liverpool’s issues at centre-back have been well documented, and the likes of Marc Guehi and Alessandro Bastoni have been linked amidst uncertainty over the future of Ibrahima Konate.

Mohamed Salah was dropped to the bench on Sunday and did not feature at all during the 2-0 victory at the London Stadium, which saw Alexander Isak score his first league goal for the club and Florian Wirtz catch the eye for an improved performance. The future of who will succeed the Egyptian is, therefore, a reality for Slot to consider in 2026.

Liverpool and Arsenal ‘preparing bids’ for Rodrygo

According to reports by Caught Offside, Liverpool and Arsenal are ‘preparing their bid’ for Real Madrid winger Rodrygo, as he continues to be pushed out at the Bernabeu and finds himself on the ‘transfer list’.

The Reds and Arsenal are both reported to be interested, with both clubs having been linked with the Brazil international throughout the calendar year. The report states that Los Blancos are ‘willing to accept’ an offer in the region of €85m-€90m (£74.5m-£79m) for Rodrygo.

Rodrygo prefers to play on the left, but has found Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe as significant obstacles to his chance of minutes at Real. His opportunities have lessened still under Xabi Alonso, as the 24-year-old has played just 330 minutes in La Liga this season and has gone 30 matches without scoring in all competitions.

But considering the extenuating circumstances surrounding his recent months in the Spanish capital, leading Premier League sides such as the Reds feel they can offer the Brazilian a fresh start and see him return to his top form in England.

Rodrygo looking for fresh start after recent struggles

Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso has retained public support for Rodrygo, saying that the Brazilian still has his full support and will get through his current ‘negative moment’ with Los Blancos.

Alonso said, reported by Fabrizio Romano on X: “We must believe and trust Rodrygo. No one can doubt his quality. He’s a top guy, always had top attitude and he works hard. We wait for him to break this negative moment with a goal”.

If Rodrygo were to arrive at Anfield, he would certainly face another battle for a starting berth against the likes of Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz. While such competition is healthy within squads looking to challenge on multiple fronts, whether the player would be open to another rotation role following his recent struggles at Madrid remains to be seen.

Whoever signs Rodrygo next would be betting on him putting his recent struggles behind him and rediscovering the form which has seen him score 68 times in 285 appearances for the club, including some monumental goals in the Champions League – the type of experience which is priceless.