Liverpool winger Luis Diaz has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona in recent months
Football pundit Stan Collymore feels his former club Liverpool should sell Luis Diaz if Barcelona offers £50-60m for his services this summer, as quoted from his column on CaughtOffside.
Luis Diaz, 27, has become an Anfield favourite since he arrived from FC Porto in January 2022. Injuries have slowed down his progress at Liverpool but he was a key member of Jurgen Klopp’s squad, scoring 24 goals and registering 13 assists in 98 appearances thus far.
The 27-year-old wide forward has been the subject of interest from Barcelona since January and, the growing feeling is that if the Reds are to sell one of their forwards, it would be the Colombian international. However, there has been nothing concrete in terms of a proposal or offer from the Catalan side, so the situation remains largely calm.
Nevertheless, Stan Collymore has asked Liverpool to be open to cashing in on Diaz if Barcelona tables a mouthwatering offer.
“Diaz is an odd one because of his injuries, the situation with his father’s kidnap which was obviously very traumatic during the season… at times he looks world class but at others he struggles to get a foothold in the game,” Collymore wrote in his column for CaughtOffside.
“It really does depend on whether Barcelona are prepared to pay £50m-£60m for him, in which case I’ll drive him to Barcelona. If it wasn’t a derisory offer and they offered a player in return as well, for the new manager it might simply depend on what kind of player that they’re offering.”
The ex-Liverpool striker feels Diaz is second-bottom in the attacking pecking order at Liverpool and ‘hasn’t been stunning’ in his two-and-a-half years spell in England.
“In the pecking order of strikers at the club, you’re looking at Salah then Nunez, then Jota, then Diaz and finally Gakpo, so the Colombian is in the bottom two. Man for man, I don’t think you’ll find any Liverpool fan will put Diaz in between Salah and Nunez, for example in terms of importance to the club,” he added.
“So I have no problem with him going because he’s been okay, but I don’t think he’s been stunning. At Liverpool, if you’re going to win titles, you’ve got to be stunning. You’ve got to hit your marks, you got to hit your stats.
“If Barcelona come along with a good offer and it allows Arne Slot to have the kind of funds to be able to bring in a player that he likes in a position that he wants, it makes sense for me.”
There has been plenty of speculation surrounding Diaz’s future at Anfield since last month. However, the Colombian, who is currently preparing for the upcoming Copa America, has recently poured cold water over any exit rumours.
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Whether Barcelona could afford to pay a premium for the 27-year-old is very much doubtful, given how deep their financial problems have been over the last few years. Diaz has a contract at our club until 2027, which means the Reds should have no hurry in selling one of our gifted forwards.
Also, the Colombian international’s recent quotes of him being ‘happy’ at Liverpool will only strengthen our position. It is very unlikely the Reds will want to make such a high-profile sale just weeks after the appointment of new manager Arne Slot.
