According to The Athletic, another Liverpool player has attracted interest from a club in the Saudi Pro League this summer, with Luis Diaz becoming the latest first-team star to attract interest.
Liverpool will be back in action today for their first pre-season friendly in Germany against Karlsruher and Jurgen Klopp will be able to get a real look at his adapted team ahead of next season.
The Reds travelled for their trip across Europe without their defensive midfielder Fabinho, after the club received a £40m offer from Al-Ittihad and it is expected that the Brazilian will complete a move away from the club imminently.
Not only that, it has been reported that Jordan Henderson has agreed terms to join his teammate and former teammate Roberto Firmino in Saudi Arabia for next season, however, there has been no agreement between clubs due to Liverpool’s refusal to part ways with their skipper for free.
Now the Merseyside giants could be subject to another offer from Saudi Arabia in the coming days as it has been reported by The Athletic that Luis Diaz is attracting attention from Al Hilal, with a bid expected to be in the region of €50m (£43.3m) for the winger.
The publication states that Liverpool have absolutely no interest in entertaining any potential offer for Diaz during the summer transfer window, as they have no intentions of parting ways with any of their attacking options following the departure of Firmino upon the expiration of his contract.
Our thoughts on the interest in Luis Diaz…
Whilst Liverpool are in need of several reinforcements this summer, even more so with Fabinho’s exit nearing and Henderson’s future hanging in the balance, it would make no sense to sell an asset like Diaz.
The Colombian dynamo burst on the scene at Anfield, making an immediate impressive impression when he signed in January 2022 for an intial fee of £37m on a five-and-a-half-year deal.
Diaz became an instant fan favourite almost overnight with his lightening pace and hard-working performances playing a key role in Liverpool’s quadruple run over the 2021/22 season.
Despite suffering with serious injury issues over last season, the winger has already delivered 11 goals and registered eight assists over 47 appearances in the famous red shirt, with a goal contribution every 160 minutes played so far.
Klopp has been full of praise in the past for the pocket rocket forward, with the Liverpool boss hailing Diaz’s impact since his arrival after he scored and tallied up an assist in the Champions League quarter-finals against Benfica last year:
“He’s a top player. He’s a top, top world level player. It’s a joy for me to work with Luís every day, and I’m more than happy that we decided to sign him in January.”
According to CIES Football Observatory, the 26-year-old’s market value has already increased by 41% in the last 18 months, as he is now reportedly worth €60m (£52m).
As a result, it makes no sense whatsoever for Liverpool to sanction the sale of Diaz this summer as he will not only be an integral first team contributor next season, but the €50m offer proposed by Al-Hilal would not even meet his current market value.
