As Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes look to move on from their rejected bid for Alexander Isak, Liverpool have now reportedly agreed personal terms with another superstar.
Following the bombshell news that Isak wants to leave Newcastle and has been training away from the club in an attempt to push through a summer exit, Liverpool's offer seemed inevitable. As soon as they had encouragement, reports always suggested that Hughes and Edwards would pursue the Swede's signature.
That's not to say the deal was ever going to be routine, however, and the Anfield chiefs found that out the hard way. After seeing an opening offer worth around £110m rejected by Newcastle, Liverpool, for now at least, have ended their pursuit of Isak.
With one month until the transfer window slams shut, it currently looks like Isak will remain a Newcastle player. But plans could change if their reported £70m bid to sign Benjamin Sesko is successful.
Of course, if those at St James' Park welcome the calibre of player able to replace Isak, which Sesko certainly is, then their stance on selling their star man may loosen slightly - allowing Liverpool to come in with their next offer.
That said, given that Manchester United are also lurking in the race to sign the RB Leipzig star, there is still a long way to go before the dominoes can fall into place for Isak to become Liverpool's biggest signing yet.
Until the saga unravels, meanwhile, the Premier League champions have been left turning towards alternative blockbuster targets and have reportedly agreed personal terms with Luis Diaz's potential replacement.
Liverpool agree personal terms with Rodrygo
According to ESPN Brasil, as relayed by The Standard, Liverpool have now agreed personal terms with Rodrygo in what is a major step towards signing the Real Madrid winger after they sent super agent Pini Zahavi to get the deal done.
Earning £11m-a-year at Real Madrid, the Brazilian's contract is unlikely to come cheap, but his talent would more than make up for any hefty costs involved in his arrival.
Liverpool's highest-earners with Rodrygo Salary per-year
Mohamed Salah £21m
Virgil van Dijk £18m
Rodrygo £11m
Hugo Ekitike £10m
Florian Wirtz £10m
To sign a Galactico, Liverpool will need to add their third-highest earner and someone who will earn more than recent arrivals Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.
Real Madrid's Rodrygo-1
For that price, however, they would be getting a player who has starred on the biggest stages and earned impressive praise from the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, who told reporters: "He is a special striker, he can play in all positions. He is fast, smart and effective one on one. The learning is over. He is a Real Madrid player for all purposes."