Liverpool transfer news as Al-Nassr 'prepared' to spend $97M on Reds ace
Al-Nassr is reportedly willing to spend $97 million on Liverpool winger Luis Diaz, which could seriously test the Reds' resolve during the summer transfer window.
Liverpool has no intention of selling Diaz this summer, but an offer of that magnitude could prompt club bosses to sit up and take notice, particularly considering the player is on course to leave for free in two years' time.
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Liverpool made it clear to Barcelona last week that Diaz is not for sale after rebuffing an approach from the Catalan club. However, there is said to be little expectation that Diaz will pen an extension to his current contract at Liverpool, which is due to expire in 2027.
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Liverpool has reportedly attempted to address Diaz's contract situation but little progress has been made, and rather than sell him this summer, the club would prefer to maximize his performance value over the next two years and allow him to leave for nothing following the 2026-27 season.
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However, the Reds would surely reassess that stance were they to receive an offer of just under $100 million for the 28-year-old winger.
Diaz is currently on the same terms that he agreed when he signed for Liverpool in January 2022. As such, he's paid far less than some of the Reds' biggest stars. But he was an important player for Arne Slot's team this season and Sky Sports claimed earlier this year that Liverpool was set to offer a deal that reflected his status.
A new deal, though, doesn't appear to be in the offing, and unless something changes in the next couple of years, Diaz is on course to leave for nothing in two years' time, when he will be 30 years old.
According to Capology, Diaz — who has also been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League — currently earns £55,000 ($73,000) per week, which is significantly lower than players of a similar standing in the squad.
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Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, and Federico Chiesa are all reported to earn more than double the amount that Diaz takes home, and Diaz could be forgiven for finding that galling given Chiesa has barely played all season and the Colombian has scored more goals than Gakpo, Nunez, and Jota.
Meanwhile, Liverpool reportedly wants Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt as a replacement for Darwin Nunez, who will almost certainly leave Anfield this summer.
Nunez has spent three seasons at Anfield and he saw his game time reduce dramatically following the arrival of Arne Slot at Anfield last summer.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia, as well as Atletico Madrid, are interested in Nunez, and @AdlerNews — an Eintracht Frankfurt news account on X — says that Liverpool wants Ekitike to replace the Uruguayan.
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