Liverpool completing £103m Rodrygo transfer doesn’t make sense - they have two other priorities

The transfer window has not even opened and already Liverpool are being linked with potential new signings.

Arne Slot is expected to be Jurgen Klopp's replacement as the next Liverpool manager this summer. Klopp will depart from his role as Reds boss following the conclusion of this Sunday's Premier League finale against Wolves at Anfield.

With Klopp departing there was already going to be speculation around what the new era of Liverpool may look like in 2024/25 and beyond. Transfers will have a major influence on that, and it remains to be seen what business the Reds will conduct in Slot's first summer in charge.

One player who has been linked with Liverpool is Real Madrid star Rodrygo. Some reports from Spain even claimed that an offer in the region of €120 million (£103 million) from the Reds was rejected by the La Liga giants.

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There has been some speculation that Rodrygo could be viewed as a replacement for Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian has another year left to run on his contract with Liverpool, with speculation continuing to swirl around whether or not he will agree to fresh terms or leave Anfield amid apparent interest from Saudi Arabia.

Rodrygo is one of the key players in Carlo Ancelotti's team at Real Madrid, so if the rumours are true of Liverpool making an offer it should be no surprise the bid was rejected. What would be more surprising is the Reds making an offer in excess of £100 million for one player.

Liverpool's current club record signing is Virgil van Dijk with the £75 million deal from Southampton in 2018. Darwin Nunez could be the new club record signing, should all of the add-ons in his deal from Benfica which is worth a potential £85.5 million be activated, after an initial fee of £64 million.

With Michael Edwards as the new CEO of football of Fenway Sports Group and Richard Hughes as Liverpool's new sporting director, the duo will be looking to complete shrewd deals that earned Edwards his reputation as a top transfer negotiator. Unless it's a game-changing signing that becomes available, the Reds have a proven track record of not spending big money on single transfers and instead going down the value-for-money route.

Rodrygo is no doubt a talented player, and would almost certainly improve the overall quality of the forward options that Slot would have at his disposal in his first season as Liverpool manager. However, other areas of the squad are arguably in greater need of reinforcements.

Centre-back has been rumoured to be an area of the squad that Liverpool are likely to strengthen this summer, with Joel Matip increasingly likely to leave as a free agent when his contract expires. There is also the debate around whether or not the Reds need to sign a new No.6 in midfield, despite adding Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai to the squad last summer.

Liverpool currently have five forward options in the squad with Salah, Nunez, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz. It would seem unlikely that any new forwards will be signed this summer unless any were to be sold.

If one of Salah, Nunez, Gakpo, Jota or Diaz leaves Anfield this summer, then it's feasible to assume that a replacement will be targeted. Will Rodrygo be that such a player? Only time will tell.