Luis Diaz transfer reality after Man City links as FSG knows course of action for Liverpool

It’s official – the summer transfer window has now reached silly season .

As if Martin Zubimendi rejecting a move to Anfield the night before wasn’t bad enough, Liverpool fans wouldn’t have been able to believe their eyes when, less than 24 hours later, Luis Diaz was supposedly on his way to Manchester City.

According to El Chiringuito , there was already an agreement with the Colombia international, and Pep Guardiola’s side was willing to pay $76m (£60m/€70m). It didn’t take long though before that particular rumor was dead in the water .

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Reporters covering both Liverpool and City sank it in no time at all, marking what might well have been the shortest-lived transfer rumor of the summer. Just as well really, considering the Reds’ fan base was already at boiling point.

Although that particular link was always a non-starter, there is still a question over Diaz’s future. The 27-year-old has been linked with a move away from Anfield throughout the summer, and reports in Spain suggest Barcelona is still keen.

A move to the Camp Nou is certainly not as farfetched as a switch to the Etihad. For starters, Diaz’s father has already talked up a move to La Liga, while also confirming his son is a fan of the Catalan club – Liverpool won’t need reminding just how much weight a player’s love for a club can carry after Zubimendi .

With Anthony Gordon clearly of interest, and the Newcastle star seemingly reciprocating, a replacement for Diaz would appear to be obvious. With just over two weeks left of the transfer window though, FSG should know what needs to be done – Diaz must stay.

Clearly, if Diaz were to leave, then Liverpool would likely revisit Gordon, but at this stage of the window, it would be too big a risk for the Reds to put all their eggs in one basket. And that’s if Barcelona even has the means to get a deal off the ground.

The Catalan club’s financial problems are well documented by this point, and having already signed Dani Olmo this summer, you doubt whether they’d also be able to get Diaz done. As The Athletic has pointed out, Liverpool hasn’t received approaches from ANY club for Diaz, so if Barca made its move now, there would be a lot of back and forth before anything could be agreed.

With so little time left in the window, that would put Newcastle in an even stronger position. We already know they would demand more than the $96m (£75m/€89m) that was agreed earlier in the summer , and if Liverpool was without Diaz, that price tag would rise even further.

That’s not to say Liverpool should give up on Gordon this summer if it really feels a deal is possible, but at this late stage, it should not come as a result of offloading Diaz.

There is still an issue to sort out with the Colombian, considering he is still on the same contract he signed when he joined from Porto in January 2022. That can wait for now though, with Liverpool’s objective this summer now clear – keep Diaz.