Liverpool are facing the prospect of Luis Diaz leaving – as the transfer of his dreams opens up to him.
Diaz has been a man reborn under Arne Slot this season, becoming a focal point of this Reds team as a false nine. Having netted 15 goals and assists already this season in all competitions for his club, the Colombian has helped Liverpool to the top of the table in the Premier League and the Champions League.
But with plenty of uncertainty over the futures of a number of players at Anfield – including Trent Alexander-Arnold's rumoured signing for Real Madrid and interest in Mohamed Salah from the Saudi Pro League – the last thing that Liverpool want, is to lose another top star.
Liverpool star Luis Diaz wanted by European giants
Ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo's list of the best left-wingers in the world right now, Diaz has slowly become a key man for Liverpool – but rumours of him leaving Merseyside have been bubbling away under the surface for a while.
Links to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia this month sparked talk that the Reds could be in the market for a new left-winger, while Anthony Gordon was extensively linked in the summer.
Sport Witness have relayed reports from Wednesday’s edition of Mundo Deportivo on Barcelona's transfer targets, with Luis Diaz on the agenda, along with Alexander Isak and Marcus Rashford.
While Isak may well be too expensive, journalist Breinner Arteta Canizares has previously claimed that Diaz's entourage scheduled talks with Barça last summer over a move.
Diaz was said to be hesitant to sign a new deal at Anfield according to The Athletic's David Ornstein, who claimed last summer that the situation was, “quite unusual for a player who’s done so well”.
With the futures of Alexander-Arnold, Salah, Virgil van Dijk and even goalkeeper Alisson in sharper focus, however – not to mention Darwin Nunez reportedly a target for Saudi Arabia – Diaz's uncertainty has flown under the radar. Diaz's father, meanwhile, has previously linked his son with a move back to Spain.
FourFourTwo understands that Liverpool still want the 28-year-old to commit his future to the club – but with a contract lasting until 2027, there's less urgency for him to sign a new deal, when compared to some of his team-mates.
With Diaz in sparkling form this season, however, it would take a monumental bid to convince Liverpool to sell this summer. In FourFourTwo's opinion, it's far more likely that the attacker departs in 2026 – if at all – when Liverpool aren't in so much flux.
Diaz is worth €85 million, according to Transfermarkt. The Reds take on Ipswich Town this weekend as Premier League action returns.
