Liverpool planning Salah sacrifice: Reds make huge transfer decision over star

Robin Bairner

• 1 Mar 2024 09:51 GMT
• 3 min read

Liverpool are ready to sacrifice Luis Diaz if Mohamed Salah signs a new contract with the club.

The Sun reports that Diaz will be allowed to leave in the summer if the Egypt international remains at Anfield.

It is stated that “several” LaLiga clubs are monitoring Diaz, with Liverpool open to offers for the Colombia international because of the sheer volume of attacking talent currently on their books.

READ MORE: Latest Liverpool transfer rumours

Crucially, a new contract for Salah is a priority for the Reds heading into the summer. His current deal expires in 2025. Indeed, the Merseysiders want to tie down the attacker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk down to fresh deals.

Although Salah is 31, he continues to shine in the Liverpool attack, scoring 19 goals and generating 10 assists in 28 appearances this season.

This comes in contrast to Diaz’s performances, which have yielded only 10 goals and five assists in 35 outings.

But the Colombian is a man in form. Over the last five Premier League games, he has three goals and as many decisive passes, suggesting that he can get back to the type of form he initially showed when he joined the club.

Salah before Diaz

If it becomes a choice between Salah and Diaz, though, Liverpool will dispense with the South American.

Data from SciSports shows how vital Salah still is to the Reds.

At 31, he remains the club’s best player, with a SciSkill, a rating based on hundreds of in-game data points, 125.9.

No one else at Anfield can match that, although Alexander-Arnold, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch all have the capacity to one day surpass that score.

Diaz, on the other hand, still has a creditable 111.0, but that only makes him third-best in the left-wing role behind Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo. SciSports also believes that he’s reached his peak.

Having such a wealth of attacking talent is a nice problem for Jurgen Klopp to have, but his successor may have to operate with one man fewer – and it looks like Diaz will be the one to go.