The make-up of Liverpool’s first squad under Arne Slot is unlikely to waver too much from this season.
Having almost completed a first full week at Liverpool, Slot will no doubt already be thinking about his plans for the team.
There may be one or two new faces added as the Reds look to bolster some key areas. But by and large, you’d expect that the new head coach will be working with more or less the same squad as Jurgen Klopp.
Where that could yet change dramatically is in player outgoings. Liverpool never expected Jordan Henderson and Fabinho to leave last year, for example, but that’s what happened.
So, while the Reds are seemingly planning ahead with key players like Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, you never quite know what’s coming around the corner.
Liverpool would only sell Luis Diaz for big money
Both Van Dijk and Salah have been linked with moves away from Anfield this summer. Bayern Munich cropped up in relation to Van Dijk, while the Saudi Arabia rumours won’t leave Salah alone. But the pair aren’t the only Liverpool players to have had links to other teams.
Ever since even before the end of the season Luis Diaz was being talked about as a target for Barcelona. With PSG also said to be looking at Diaz, there was a feeling he could leave.
This has since been eased slightly, with reports that Diaz is happy at Liverpool. Nevertheless, some doubt still remains over the Colombian. And answering a fan Q&A for The Athletic, journalist James Pearce says that if one player were to be sold for big money this summer, it’s Liverpool’s No.7.
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“As things stand, I’m expecting all three to stay,” said Pearce when asked about Diaz, Salah and Darwin Nunez. “But if I had to pick one, I’d say Diaz. Salah has given Liverpool no indication that he’s looking to move and the Saudi Pro League believes it will have a better chance of signing him in summer 2025, when he could be a free agent.
“Nunez endured a bad end to the season, but Slot’s arrival marks a fresh start for him and Liverpool still have faith in him.
“Diaz feels like a slightly different situation as there’s been so much noise around him with talk of interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona well as Saudi Arabia. Whether that leads to a serious bid or Diaz pushes for a move, only time will tell.
“But it would take a big offer, certainly well in excess of the £50million they paid Porto for him in January 2022, to convince Liverpool that selling the Colombian makes sense.”
Should Liverpool lower Luis Diaz price?
From what has been reported over the past couple of weeks, it would now be a surprise if Diaz were to leave Liverpool.
Although the transfer rumours will not go away, the Reds are seemingly happy to keep the 27-year-old around. With three years still to run on his contract, there’s no danger in that department.
But should a bid come in from either Barcelona, PSG or even one of the Saudi sides, Liverpool would be wise to consider it.
While he is a very capable player, Diaz also has a tendency to underwhelm. A good example is his performance against Manchester City back in April.
The Colombia international had a really good game, being described as ‘amazing’ by Gary Neville. However, although he tormented Kyle Walker for large parts, Diaz still missed two guilt-edged chances to win Liverpool the game.
Obviously, they shouldn’t be actively looking to sell Diaz. But we’d argue that if something around the £50m mark comes in, the Reds shouldn’t dismiss it out of hand.