Alexander Isak could be left in transfer limbo amid claims that Liverpool are looking at a big-name alternative to join their forward line.
The Newcastle United forward has made clear that he wishes to leave the club after a nine-figure bid from Liverpool was turned down.
Liverpool were subsequently reported to be willing to walk away rather than offer more than the £110m they initially tabled - and they could now turn to Real Madrid star Rodrygo instead.
Liverpool face competition from Manchester City in Rodrygo pursuit
This is not the first time Liverpool have been linked with the Brazilian: the Reds were said to be eyeing up Rodrygo as a potential replacement for Luis Diaz following his departure for Bayern Munich.
Football Insider now report that Rodrygo's representatives have flown to England to meet with Liverpool to discuss a potential move - but they are also set to hold talks with rivals Manchester City.
Prior reports have suggested that City could pursue a move for Rodrygo in the event that Savinho departs amid links to Tottenham.
Rodrygo did not make it off the bench for Real Madrid's opening-day La Liga victory over Osasuna on Tuesday, with Brahim Diaz, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior making up their starting forward trio before Franco Mastantuono and Gonzalo Garcia came on as substitutes.
Real are said to be open to Rodrygo departing but only at significant cost, with a €100m (£86.5m) price tag touted for his services.
Rodrygo is ranked at no.6 in FourFourTwo's list of the best right wingers in the world right now and has previously been a regular for Real, claiming 68 goals and 51 assists in 270 appearances since joining from Santos in 2019.
In FourFourTwo's view, Rodrygo is not quite as precise a fit for Liverpool's needs as Isak, but a move for a player of his calibre would still make sense.
After Diaz's exit, the tragic loss of Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez's sale to Saudi side Al-Hilal, Arne Slot's side are in need of greater depth in their forward line as they look to retain their Premier League crown and go deeper in other competitions than they managed last term.
Hugo Ekitike has made a promising start at centre-forward, but with Florian Wirtz playing as a number 10, Liverpool have just Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa to call on for the rest of their forward positions.
That leaves centre-forward looking light, hence their interest in Isak - and while Rodrygo is a winger rather than a number 9, adding him to the squad would allow Slot to re-deploy Gakpo through the middle.
Whether it's Rodrgyo or someone else, seeing Liverpool sign an alternative target would be a particular blow for Isak - and could leave Newcastle in a difficult situation.
The Swedish international has pushed so hard for a move that his position in Eddie Howe's squad could be untenable even if he remained a Newcastle player past the end of the transfer window.
As brilliant as Isak has been for Newcastle, their fans are unlikely to have much forgiveness for him - and the club could not be blamed for feeling the same way about a player who has made clear he does not want to be there.
That could leave them paying big wages for an unmotivated and dejected star player, which is far from ideal for anybody concerned.
