Barcelona’s pursuit of Liverpool winger Luis Diaz may not be over yet, despite the club’s recent negotiations to sign Nico Williams.
The Spanish champions have been open in their desire to bring the Colombian to the Nou Camp, with Deco publicly admitting his interest in Diaz, along with Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford. But reports in Spain have indicated that Barcelona will look to sign Athletic Bilbao winger Williams instead.
According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Deco’s “first choice” remains Diaz and Barca only opted to sign Williams due to his age and contract status. Given he is six years younger than the Liverpool star, Williams offers Barcelona a “greater chance of recouping its investment in the future”, while a release clause makes the transfer negotiations much smoother. That Diaz can play centrally is also seen as a plus.
But Mundo Deportivo states talks with Willaims have now “come to a standstill”, due to his agents’ demands surrounding registration guarantees, which has impacted several Barca transfers in recent years, such as Dani Olmo, who nearly left the Catalan club in January as a result.
While a verbal agreement was reached last week over his wage and contract length, the registration request could derail the transfer and means Diaz may become a viable option once again.
The report adds Liverpool has been unwilling to negotiate so far on a possible move for Diaz, who has also been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia and Bayern Munich.
Luis Diaz has been linked with a move to Barcelona this summer
Luis Diaz has been linked with a move to Barcelona this summer (Image: Getty Images)
German reporter Christian Falk claimed over the weekend that the latter is considering a summer approach for Diaz, while reports in Saudi Arabia stated Al-Nassr might make a €100million ($117M/£86M) bid for the attacker.
Liverpool’s no.7 has two years to run on his contract and doubts surrounding his future have been a recurring theme of the summer window.
Diaz claimed at the end of the season that he expected to begin contract talks with the Reds over the summer, but club sources have indicated that is not the case.
Liverpool's Luis Diaz celebrates with the Premier League trophy
Diaz could leave Anfield as a Premier League title winner (Image: Getty Images)
Instead, Liverpool is even open to the possibility of the player running his current terms down and leaving for free in 24 months.
The former Porto man has not signed an extension since joining Liverpool in 2022 despite making 148 appearances in that time, and winning every major domestic honor available.
Diaz played 36 Premier League games as the Reds secured the title this season, providing 13 goals and seven assists.