Luis Diaz is claimed to be attracting ongoing interest from Saudi Arabia, with both Liverpool and their No. 7 facing a big decision over a summer transfer.
Diaz will enter the final two years of his contract this summer and, as it stands, there has been no progress in talks over a possible extension.
That raises the prospect of a sale in the next transfer window as Liverpool look to maximise value on a player who will turn 29 in January and is attracting interest from elsewhere.
Chief among those said to be tracking Diaz’s situation are sides from Saudi Arabia, namely Al-Nassr, with journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming they are “still pushing” for a deal.
“[Clubs] from Saudi, they will try again. They are interested and they want Luis Diaz,” he explained on YouTube.
“So let’s see what the player decides to do: stay at Liverpool, maybe go to another European club – last summer there was interest from Manchester City – maybe consider an opportunity in Saudi.”
Reports of advances from Man City were corroborated by The Athletic‘s David Ornstein last month, while it has been long known that Barcelona are also interested in the Colombian.
It seems he would not be short of options if either he pushes to leave Anfield or it is made clear to him that Liverpool would prefer a sale in the summer.
There is clearly business sense in the club cashing in if possible, despite the impressive contribution Diaz has made this season, with 14 goals and eight assists in 44 games, most often operating as a false nine.
That there is interest from Saudi Arabia enhances that, with Al-Nassr among the richest clubs in the Saudi Pro League and therefore more likely to bankroll a significant outlay.
In January, Al-Nassr paid £64 million to sign Jhon Duran, while Otavio (£55m), Mohamed Simakan (£38.5m), Sadio Mane (£24m), Aymeric Laporte (£23.6m), Seko Fofana (£21.5m) and Angelo (£19.1m) have all arrived for sizeable fees since the league was repackaged.
Interestingly, Diaz could even join as an eventual replacement for Mane – whose deal expires in 2026 – just as he did at Liverpool in 2022.
Liverpool are facing a major overhaul of their squad in the upcoming transfer window, regardless of their status as champions-elect, which could include big changes in attack.
Not only are there question marks over Diaz’s future, but also that of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott.
Cody Gakpo is the only senior forward who appears safe at this stage, with a new No. 9 likely to be the priority heading into the summer.
