Luis Diaz has attracted the attention of Barcelona though the La Liga champions have seen a move for him fail, with the Liverpool star now speaking out on his future
Luis Diaz has put the ball firmly in Liverpool’s court after confirming he has held talks with rival clubs over a potential move. Diaz was a revelation when he first arrived at Anfield under Jurgen Klopp and continued that under Arne Slot.
With Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah starring on the wings, Diaz has mainly been deployed as a central striker by Reds boss Arne Slot. He played an important role this season, scoring 17 goals in all competitions as they won the Premier League title.
But speculation has been mounting since January that he could be on the move. The Colombian has only two years remaining on his contract and with talks over a new deal at an impasse, several top clubs around the world are interested.
One of those is Barcelona, though Liverpool firmly rejected an approach from the La Liga champions for Diaz on Thursday. The attacker is currently with Colombia for their World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Argentina over the next week.
Diaz was put up alongside manager Néstor Lorenzo for the press conference to preview the clash with Peru. He was inevitably asked about his future and did little to reassure Reds fans that he felt his future is on Merseyside.
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“I’m very happy at Liverpool, I’ve always said so. They’ve welcomed me very well from day one. We are currently in contact with Liverpool, because we are talking to clubs,” Diaz said.
“That’s normal given the transfer market that’s opening. We’re trying to arrange what’s best for us. We’re talking to clubs, it’s normal in the market and we’re looking at what’s best for us.
“I’m waiting to see what happens. If they (Liverpool) give us a good renewal or I stay there for two years, I’ll be happy. Now it’s up to them.”
Diaz’s comments come after Liverpool informed Barcelona that the 28-year-old is not up for sale. The Reds have insisted that they would only consider eye-watering money for the Colombian.
The Spanish champions approached the Reds about signing Diaz but it was rebuffed this week. Liverpool are not prepared to sell the Colombian and their stance will only change if they receive a huge offer that would allow them to replace him with a similar or better player.
The Reds have noted that Manchester United ace Bruno Fernandes was valued at £85m by Saudi club Al-Hilal and is two years older than Diaz. So they would want more than that to convince them to sell this summer.
Despite that, there are no plans to open contract talks yet with Diaz with only two years left on his contract. Liverpool are ready to maximise his current abilities in his peak years rather than sell for below his valuation just because of his contract situation.
That would mean they would be prepared to allow him to leave for nothing in two years. But they are not interested in doing a cut-price deal this summer for a player they believe can still have a big impact.
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