Luis Diaz keeps getting linked with a move away from Liverpool

Telegraph

a day ago

Liverpool have reaffirmed their desire to keep Luis Diaz by rebuffing an approach from Bayern Munich.
The German champions are the second European superclub to express an interest in the Colombian international this summer after Barcelona were informed the 28-year-old is not for sale.
Diaz has two years remaining on his Anfield contract and is a favourite of manager Arne Slot. His valuation is well north of £70 million, so even if Liverpool did countenance a sale - and that is clearly not on their agenda - his price would make him one of the expensive purchases of the current transfer window.
Diaz enjoyed his best season as a Liverpool player under Slot, his productivity levels increasing as he scored 17 goals over 50 appearances.
His versatility also makes him the archetypal Slot player, able to play in three forward positions. Diaz played as a No.9 in Liverpool's most impressive performances of their Premier League and Champions League campaign, and that multi-functionality will be required again in the coming season.
Analysis: Why does he keep getting linked with a move, then?
A short anecdote.
Many years ago a Liverpool football correspondent was standing in the old wooden hut at Melwood when an in-form player approached him.
'You have been writing a lot of nice things about me,' said the polite footballer, who had joined a year earlier and was correctly earning stellar reviews.
'You deserve it,' the reporter replied.
'Can you write in your column that I should get a pay rise, then?'
Slightly aghast, the young (ish) reporter suggested it was not necessarily his place to demand a salary increase on the player's behalf given he had so long left on the deal he penned when joining the club, and perhaps hiring a new agent to speak to the chief executive was more advisable.
The footballer duly found another representative, and not so long later did indeed renew his terms, becoming a club legend over the course of a brilliant Anfield career.
Luis Diaz has not given any interviews either on or off the record at Liverpool's training ground in which he too has expressed a keenness for a pay rise, or for any reports to ask for one on his behalf, but he does not need to.
Every time he is linked with a new club it positively screams it.
Liverpool have no intention of selling Diaz, and whenever the Colombian is asked about his future there is nothing to suggest he wants to move on.
'I'm very happy at Liverpool,' Diaz recently said while on international duty. 'They've treated me well since the first day.
'We're talking with other clubs. It's the transfer window, it's normal. If Liverpool renews my contract, or if I have to stay the two years I have left, I'll be happy. It's up to them.'
And yet for a consecutive summer he has been linked with a transfer. A year ago, a surprising link to Manchester City emerged, followed by suggestions the Saudi Pro League were about to make a huge bid.
This year, Barcelona and now Bayern Munich have asked Liverpool about his availability.
Liverpool indicated at one point after their title win that they are 'baffled' by the idea they would sell Diaz. They're not confused as to why the links keep materialising, though.
Liverpool signed Diaz on a five-and-a-half year deal in January 2022. Since then, his performances have elevated and there have been triggers which increased his salary.
But in the meantime, others have renewed their terms – some such as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk earning £20 million a year – and Diaz could be forgiven for feeling that given his valuation is at least double the £37 million Liverpool paid Porto, logically his salary should be more reflective of his stellar contribution.
The issue for him and his representatives is it was they who committed to such a long contract three-and-a-half years ago. Clearly, that looks like an even better deal for Liverpool right now.
Diaz will be 30 when his Liverpool contract runs out in 2027. History informs us how studious Liverpool are when it comes to renewing deals for players in their late 20s or early 30s, even some of the greatest of all time. It explains why – as things stand – there has been no rush to negotiate another contract. Liverpool obviously run the risk of losing Diaz for free in two years, but that feels a long way ahead and even if it comes to that, they would have enjoyed his prime years for a bargain fee.
Alternatively, those who would pay Diaz more to play for them now would also need to calculate how much he would cost for Liverpool to change their stance. Everyone has their price, but Diaz's would be up there among the most expensive in the world this summer, which is why few believe he will be going anywhere before the start of next season. Even if a club bid £80 million, Liverpool would have to find a replacement and they do not want that on their agenda.
So while many suggest Liverpool face a 'dilemma' with Diaz, they really don't in the absence of any meaningful offers.