Liverpool, Man Utd and Arsenal 'eye' £85m Real Madrid star as trio set for Anfield exit

Liverpool's international stars have all joined up with their compatriots for the March international break and Jurgen Klopp will pray all return unscathed. The two-week gap is the final one of this season and a return to Merseyside will signal the start of the title run-in.

The Reds currently sit second but are behind Arsenal only on goal difference, with the pair ahead of Manchester City by a single point. It's set to be a grandstand finish to Klopp's final campaign at Anfield and LiverpoolWorld has rounded up some of the latest stories ahead of domestic football's return.

Reds eyeing Madrid star

Liverpool are among four Premier League teams thought to be interested in Real Madrid star Rodrygo. Spanish outlet Sport reports that they are joined by Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United in keeping a close eye on the Brazilian ahead of the summer.

As things stand, Rodrygo is not for sale and the winger is not looking to leave Madrid, but things may change with the arrivals of Kylian Mbappe and Endrick, both of whom play out wide. A lack of guaranteed football could encourage the 23-year-old to look elsewhere and prospective suitors are on high alert.

Rodrygo is currently contracted until 2028 and has a release clause of €1billion (around £858m), although there is no expectation anyone would cough up close to that amount. The report suggests that if the player agitates to leave, an offer around £85m would bring Madrid to the table.

Trio tipped to leave

Liverpool are reportedly planning to let Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara and Adrian leave in the summer. Football Insider reports that there are no plans to extend contracts for any of the trio, with all three to leave as free agents if that happens.

Michael Edwards, who will return to Anfield this summer as the club's CEO of football, is happy to offload some of the ageing talent at Liverpool in a bid to refresh the squad post-Klopp. Matip and Thiago are both 32 and have struggled with fitness this season, while goalkeeper Adrian is 37.

It is unclear whether any of the trio will play for Liverpool again, with Matip and Thiago looking set to be out for the remainder of the season while Adrian is firmly third-choice goalkeeper and is yet to feature in any competition.