Liverpool missed chance to sign Premier League-bound £80m star for £2.5m after Jurgen Klopp 'discovered' him on YouTube

It can be difficult to find any discernible football talent on YouTube but Jurgen Klopp managed it during his time in charge of Liverpool, according to reports.

Liverpool manager Klopp apparently had the chance to sign a future Real Madrid star for just £2.5 million back in 2017 and the player's value has gone through the roof in the past eight years.

The Mirror reported that the Reds were in "advanced talks" with Santos after Klopp clocked his abilities in footage shared online.

Klopp led Liverpool to a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League that year before going on to win the Champions League and the Premier League in nine seasons with the Anfield club.

The 16-year-old stayed put in Brazil before moving to La Liga in 2019.

Six years after signing for Real Madrid, 24-year-old winger Rodrygo is one of the hottest properties in European football.

In an interview with Canal do Nicola in 2020, Rodrygo's agent Elano explained the origins of Klopp's interest.

"He had gone on YouTube, searched 'talents from Brazil', Rodrygo had appeared, and he was very young," said Elano.

"He [Jurgen Klopp] came to Brazil and liked him. They contacted me, the Liverpool director wanted him to be his first signing, Rodrygo."

The £2.5 million deal fell through and Rodrygo signed for Los Blancos for £37 million a few years later, ironically inking the paperwork in a hospitality suite at Anfield according to the Mirror.

"We didn’t close the deal because I didn’t want to," Rodrygo later told The Guardian.

Rodrygo has been linked with a move away from Real Madrid (Image: Getty)

"I wanted to stay at Santos even though the offer was very good. The pathway they promised me would also have been very good for my career. I was going to finish my studies in England to prepare for European football.

"It had always been my dream to play in Europe. Everything was very good, but my desire spoke louder.

"I wanted to stay at Santos and make a bit of history at the club. And that’s what happened: I was able to fulfil my dream of playing for Santos. But it’s true, I almost went to Liverpool."

Now rated at a massive £80 million, the Osasco-born Brazilian international has been tipped for a belated arrival in the Premier League.

Reports in Europe this week claimed that Arsenal are in talks to bring Rodrygo to England.