Liverpool are reportedly preparing a bid for Santos and Brazilian wonderkid Marcos Leonardo, despite already bringing attacking talent through the door this summer in Darwin Nunez.
With the Premier League season commencing in just a few days time, it looks highly unlikely that Liverpool will be making any additions to their squad, with only exceptional circumstances potentially pushing the Reds to make any more signings this summer. Along with Nunez, Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsey have been brought to Anfield in the transfer window, with Jurgen Klopp insisting the Reds are done with transfers.
But, according to Brazilian outlet Bolavip, Liverpool and Klopp could look to bring Leonardo to the club this summer to add to the depth of the squad. The 19-year-old has impressed many at a young age, though his release clause is reportedly set at £50.3m.
READ MORE: Darwin Nunez has just made Man City's 'fear' of Liverpool even stronger
But, if Liverpool were to pay the release clause and bring in the forward this summer, what could happen? How long could it take for the Brazilian to become a key member of Klopp's side?
We 'signed' Marcos Leonardo for Liverpool to see what could've happened
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Leonardo to sign for Liverpool in the 2022 summer transfer window, using FM22 to run the simulation. We then simulated the next three seasons to see how long it could take for the Brazilian to make his mark.
Liverpool's 2022/23 season with Marcos Leonardo
In his first season at Liverpool, Leonardo made just five appearances for the Reds, all off the bench as he spent most of his time with the Under 23's. All five appearances off the bench were in the Premier League, with the Brazilian grabbing one assist in a 5-0 win over Bournemouth at home.
Leonardo didn't make a huge impact at the club, though Nunez had a great first season, scoring 22 goals in 44 games. Liverpool finished second in the Premier League at the end of the season, 10 points behind winners Manchester City.
The 72 points earned by the Reds was 20 less than last season - a major drop off from Klopp's side. They ended the season as the league's top scorers and with the second-best defence.
The Reds did manage to win a trophy in the 2022/23 season, though, winning the FA Cup once again in a tense final. After drawing 2-2 in normal time, a Naby Keita goal secured the trophy for Klopp's side as Liverpool beat Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa 3-2.
After beating Chelsea and Barcelona, Liverpool met Man City in the semi-finals, but a 3-0 loss on aggregate saw them eliminated from the competition. The Reds were also knocked out in the third round of the Carabao Cup, losing 2-1 to Tottenham.
Liverpool's 2023/24 season with Marcos Leonardo
Ahead of the new season, Harvey Elliot departed the club on loan as the only major outgoing, whilst Ajax defender Jurrien Timber was the only new signing made. Leonardo ended the season with 14 appearances under his belt as he was used in all four competitions, scoring three times.
The Brazilian scored twice in the Premier League and once in the Carabao Cup, with 12 of his appearances from the bench. Liverpool improved in the Premier League in the 2023/23 season, but they were extremely unlucky not to win the title.
Having improved on the previous season and gained 11 more points, Liverpool missed out on the title by goal difference after matching Man City's point tally of 83. Liverpool had the best defensive record in the league, but a lack of goals saw them pay.
The Reds were successful in the cup competitions though, winning two trophies including the UEFA Champions League. Liverpool faced fellow European royalty in AC Milan, and Mohamed Salah scored the only goal of the game to secure the trophy.
The other trophy came in the Carabao Cup, with goals from Diogo Jota and James Milner claiming the silverware in a 2-1 win over Spurs. Antonio Conte's side did get revenge though, beating the Reds 2-1 in the FA Cup semi-final
Liverpool's 2024/25 season with Marcos Leonardo
Liverpool had their biggest transfer window in years in the 2024/25 transfer window, with major incomings and outgoings. Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota, James Milner, Joel Matip, Thiago, Nat Phillips, Ibrahim Konate and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain all left the club for a combined £185m, whilst Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Marc Guehi and Merih Demiral all signed for a combined £210m.
With Firmino and Jota gone, the Reds gave Leonardo his breakthrough as the main number nine at the club, pipping Nunez in the pecking order and playing a total of 47 games in the 2022/23 season. In those 47 games, 45 of them were starts and they all came in the Premier League and Champions League.
In the Premier League, the Brazilian scored 10 goals and registered one assist whilst scoring a further seven in the Champions League, grabbing 17 goals combined in all competitions. He also averaged a rating of 7.08 per game.
When compared to the rest of the squad, Leonardo ended the season as the club's second top scorer, only behind Salah (21). The Brazilian scored two more than Luis Diaz, five more than Bellingham and 10 more than Nunez who had a poor season as the backup striker.
At the end of the 2023/24 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Liverpool XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what it looked like:
Full Liverpool best XI: (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Timber, Van Dijk, Robertson; Bellingham, Fabinho, Rice; Salah, Leonardo, Diaz.
In his third season at the club, Leonardo made the Reds' best XI, beating Nunez to the striker role. Rice and Bellingham joined Fabinho in midfield, whilst Timber was the chosen partner for Virgil van Dijk ahead of Joe Gomez, Demiral and Guehi.
For the third consecutive season, Liverpool finished second in the Premier League table, with Man City being crowned victorious again. The Reds equalled their tally of 83 points from the past season, but City managed 95 as they eased their way to the title.
Liverpool ended the 2024/25 season with the best defence once again and as the second highest scorers, but City scored 20 more. Despite missing out on the league once again, the Reds did manage to defend their Champions League title.
In what was their toughest run to the final yet, Liverpool faced Man City, Juventus, and Bayern Munich on their way to the final after topping their group which included Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund. The final saw the Reds face Real Madrid, and goals from Leonardo and Curtis Jones handed Klopp's side the trophy, winning 2-0.
Domestically, the Reds failed to win a trophy in the 2024/25 season, the first time since the 20/21 campaign. A penalty shootout defeat after a 2-2 draw against Man City saw the Reds knocked out in the FA Cup semi-finals, and a shock 1-0 loss to Bristol City saw Liverpool eliminated in the Carabao Cup fourth round.
Overall, if Liverpool were to sign Marcos Leonardo, the Brazilian could take a few years to find his feet for the Reds, making just 14 appearances in his first two seasons. But, Leonardo showed fantastic development under Klopp, replacing the outgoing Roberto Firmino in the 2024/25 season and becoming one of the Reds' key players.
Would you like to see Liverpool sign Brazilian youngster Marcos Leonardo? Let us know in the comments!
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