Better than Jota: Liverpool make contact to sign "world-class" £85m star

Liverpool have the luxury of playing out the remainder of the Premier League campaign as champions after they won their second title in the division, and their 20th top-flight title overall.

The Reds officially won the league at the end of last month when they hammered Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in a phenomenal 5-1 victory in front of their own supporters.

Arne Slot came in to replace Jurgen Klopp last summer and has already equalled the number of Premier League titles won by the German in his nine seasons on Merseyside.

However, the former Feyenoord coach may hope for more success in the cup competitions next season and beyond, after his team failed to win either of the domestic cups or the Champions League.

In order to do that, the Dutchman could look to improve the quality and depth of his squad in the upcoming transfer window to target more trophies next term.

This could mean that some players who have featured regularly could be either lesser-spotted in the 2025/26 campaign or sold in the summer, and one star who may fall into that category is Diogo Jota.

Why Diogo Jota’s future at Liverpool is uncertain

The Portugal international, who joined the club from Wolverhampton Wanderers almost five years ago, has played 36 matches in all competitions so far this term, despite missing 18 games through injury for club and country.

Jota has started 15 games in the Premier League and the Champions League for Slot, which shows that he has been utilised fairly regularly by the Dutch head coach when you factor in his injury absences.

His future at Anfield remains uncertain, however, due to his performances on the pitch and his lack of availability through injury, as he has missed 72 matches through injury since the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

Jota, whose last goal came against Everton in April, has been absent for at least 18 games in each of the last three seasons, and this means that Liverpool cannot rely on him to be consistently available each year.

As you can see in the table above, the former Wolves star’s performances on the pitch have also left a bit to be desired, as he has underperformed against his xG and rarely provided much in the way of creativity for his team.

This is further evidenced by his return of zero goals and zero assists in four appearances in the Champions League earlier this season for the Reds, and may explain why journalist Ben Jacobs recently revealed that there is a chance that Jota could be sold this summer.

Liverpool could seal the forward’s fate by swooping to sign a reported target who has the quality to be miles better than the Portuguese flop for Slot.

Liverpool eyeing up LaLiga sensation

According to Rousing The Kop, working with journalist Graeme Bailey, Liverpool have made contact with Real Madrid to be kept informed on Rodrygo’s situation in the Spanish capital.

The report claims that the Reds want to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch in the upcoming summer transfer window, and are open to signing players in central or wide areas to add to what they already have.

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It reveals that the Premier League champions have been alerted to the potential availability of the Brazil international, who has had to accept a reduced role since the arrival of Kylian Mbappe last summer.

However, the report adds that there is no guarantee that Rodrygo will be available to sign from Real Madrid this summer, but the Reds have made contact to ensure that they will be in the know if that does become the case.

If Liverpool can strike a deal for the forward, who is reportedly valued at €100m (£85m) by the Spanish giants, then they could land an attacker who is miles better than Jota.

Why Liverpool should sign Rodrygo

The Premier League side should pursue a deal for the Brazilian star if he becomes available because he could come in as a big upgrade on Jota ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Rodrygo, as aforementioned, has not been as prominent at the top end of the pitch for Real Madrid because he has to compete with Jude Bellingham, Mbappe, and Vinicius Jr to get the ball in the final third.

Despite that, the 24-year-old star has still racked up 14 goals in all competitions for the Spanish giants this season, as shown in the highlights above.

Since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, Rodrygo has scored 49 goals and provided 27 assists in all competitions for Real. Meanwhile, Diogo Jota has scored 31 goals and assisted 15 for Liverpool in that time, which speaks to the difference in quality between the two forwards.

As you can see in the table above, the Brazilian dynamo has also outperformed the Reds attacker at league and Champions League level in the current campaign, overperforming against his xG whilst Jota has underperformed.

The chart above also shows that Rodrygo, who can play on either flank or through the middle as a centre-forward, offers far more than the Portugal international when it comes to progressing play through passes, carries, and successful take-ons.

This means that the £85m-rated star, who was described as “world-class” by Luka Modric, could be miles better than Jota for Liverpool because he has the ability to score and assist more frequently and more efficiently, whilst also offering significantly more in the build-up with his passes and carries.

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Therefore, Slot must hope that the board can wrap up a deal for the LaLiga star if he becomes available this summer, because the versatile forward could be a terrific addition to the squad as an upgrade on Jota.