Liverpool are expected to make significant moves in the transfer window this summer, with sporting director Richard Hughes eager to strengthen the squad for manager Arne Slot ahead of 2025-26’s defence of their Premier League title.
However, there could also be a few major departures, and while Liverpool have signalled they have no interest in seeing 28-year-old Colombian winger Luis Diaz amongst them, Barcelona recently publicly signalled their interest in him.
Over the past week, reports out of Spain have the Catalans identifying Diaz as their top attacking target, and sporting director Deco has publicly acknowledged that the winger is a player that they do “like” alongside a handful of others.
Inevitably, then, Slot was asked about the chatter at his final pre-match press conference of the season—and the Liverpool manager was in a playful mood, hiding any criticism of Barcelona’s tendency to publicly negotiate behind a smile.
“Every club has their way of doing things and I think you’re used to the fact I don’t talk about players at other clubs who we haven’t signed,” Slot noted. “But I understand he’s a big admirer of Lucho—and I am a big admirer of him as well.
“He’s a great player and he has had a great season. I admire Lamine Yamal and Raphinha. But if he just meant it in that way then I think he probably would have added to that that he’s an admirer of Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo as well.”
There have been rumours Liverpool would consider a sale at €80M (£67M), and on the flip side that Barcelona would be willing to pay €60M (£50M), the latter of which is a fee that seems unlikely to tempt the Reds into selling the winger.
Diaz quickly established himself as a favourite of Slot’s last season, and while he and Cody Gakpo are both in contention for minutes on the left, it’s also clear the two are amongst Slot’s top three forward options alongside Mohamed Salah.
With Diaz recently signalling he wants to sign a new Liverpool deal, then, he’s at the very least not a player the Reds will be looking to sell—so if Barcelona aren’t willing to meet Liverpool’s valuation, and quickly, a sale seems unlikely.