Ben Jacobs has outlined where Liverpool currently stand regarding one player who’s been linked with a potential move away from Anfield.
According to reports from Spain, Barcelona consider Luis Diaz to be the ideal option as they seek to bring in a new left winger this summer and could potentially offer Raphinha in a like-for-like exchange.
However, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist indicated that the Reds are keeping calm about the Colombian’s situation and are hopeful that he’ll decide to stay put, with his current contract running to 2027.
Follow Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
Jacobs outlined: “Diaz is healthily contracted still. There’s no panic and there’s no urgency to resolve the future in the situation of Luis Diaz, but there is still a conversation to be had between Liverpool and Diaz.
“From Liverpool’s point of view, they still think that Diaz can thrive at the football club, but they have to hear the players’ perspective. The simple stance of Liverpool on Diaz is that they value him, and they note that he is well-contracted at the football club.”
READ MORE: Reporter outlines what LaLiga dynamo is ‘thinking’ amid rumoured Liverpool interest
READ MORE: (Video) Inevitable Mo Salah rescues result for Egypt with typically eye-catching finish
While most of Liverpool’s key players were flagging during the run-in to the 2023/24 season, Diaz was one of the few whose performance levels remained consistently high from Easter onwards, so it’d seem quite foolish to jettison him at this point.
The 27-year-old’s output for the Reds hasn’t been explosive – he netted 13 times in 51 appearances last term and has 24 goals in 98 outings for the club so far (Transfermarkt) – but we’re not in a position to cash in on him too readily.
Diogo Jota is one of the most clinical finishers in world football but not the most reliable in terms of his injury record, while speculation continues to abound over the future of Mo Salah.
Therefore, Liverpool are quite right to place considerable value in Diaz, whose contract situation is far more comfortable than the likes of the Egyptian, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, each of whom has just 12 months remaining on their respective deals at Anfield.
We trust that the Reds’ powerbrokers will have a discussion with the Colombian in good time to demonstrably show how much they want him at the club amid the ongoing reported interest from Barcelona.
READ MORE: A history of Liverpool players at the European Championship