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Liverpool stunned as €85m star seeks Barcelona transfer
Liverpool have a fight on their hands to retain Luis Diaz this summer, with Barcelona having put the Colombia winger at the top of their transfer shortlist.
The 27-year-old Diaz is the winger that Barca most want to sign this summer, according to Mundo Deportivo, which indicates that the Camp Nou side are already working towards signing the former Porto ace.
Although under contract until 2027, the attacker has struggled to find his best form lately, and the Blaugrana believe that a combination of recent criticism plus the departure of Jurgen Klopp can see him prised away from Anfield.
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Indeed, it is reported that Diaz “will do his part to fulfil” the transfer – but only if Barcelona can raise the funds for a deal.
This means that the Catalans will first need to strike at least one – possibly two – big transfer deals for players to leave the club. The likes of Ronald Araujo and Frenkie de Jong are both players who could depart for substantial fees, while Barca could also part with Raphinha.
Such departures would help facilitate a big transfer this summer, but while Nico Williams of Athletic Club, Dani Olmo of RB Leipzig and Porto winger Porto have all been linked with them, it is Diaz who they really want.
PSG were also linked with the player in April by The Telegraph. At that point, Liverpool were believed to have an asking price of €87 million (£75m) for the winger, whose Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) sits at €45m.
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Luis Diaz’s Barcelona dream
Luis Diaz’s father, Luis Manuel, has previously indicate that the winger has a “dream” of playing for Barcelona one day.
Speaking to Win Sports in November 2023, he said: “The truth is that I know very little about Barcelona at the moment. It is true that Luis is a loyal Barcelona fan and it would be his dream to go there.
“So far I would like to thank Porto and Liverpool for the way they welcomed him and received him. Luis is a player who finds it easy to win over because of the way he is, because of his humility, his work, his dedication, he is a very disciplined player, thank God.
“There would be no problem if Luis came to Barcelona because it is a top team and one of the best in the world.”