Luis Diaz given clear target by Jamie Carragher after proving Liverpool legend wrong

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher wanted the Reds to sign a Luis Diaz replacement during the summer transfer window but has since been proved wrong by the Colombian winger .

Diaz, 27, has made a stunning start to the 2024-25 season under new head coach Arne Slot , scoring five goals in seven Premier League games. The 27-year-old managed just eight goals in 37 Premier League appearances last season and was linked with a move to Barcelona over the summer.

Liverpool signed Diaz from FC Porto in January 2022 in a deal worth $65 million, but injuries plagued his first full season at the club. His eight league goals last season was a career-high, but Carragher revealed to Liverpool.com that he wasn't totally convinced Diaz was the real deal.

"When I think about Liverpool I'm thinking, 'Well where can we improve? Luis Diaz was a player who came in, did really well, he got a couple of knee injuries and we hadn't quite seen the same player in the last 18 months," Carragher told Liverpool.com. "And you were thinking, 'Okay, we need maybe a little bit of an upgrade there.'

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"That would've been certainly what I was thinking over the summer. There was talk of the Anthony Gordon Link with Newcastle, Luis Diaz I think had a really good summer for Colombia and he's been one of the best players in the Premier League I think at the start of the season.

"When you've got Luis Diaz in that form, you're keeping him and you're not looking to bring anyone else in. That's just a fact. I just think those levels had dropped a little bit. And that may have been to do with the injury.

"It may be to do with a new manager just getting a little bit extra out of someone, that can happen. We've seen it with Gravenberch. But the Luis Diaz I'm seeing right now, I'd be desperate for him to sign a new contract."

Diaz is under contract at Liverpool until 2027, but his fast start to the season has sparked speculation that Liverpool could be looking to offer the winger a new deal. However, Carragher wants Diaz to prove he can remain consistent before he's rewarded with a new contract.

"We should remember we're only a few games into the season," Carragher added. "He's got to keep this going. If Liverpool want to get back to winning the Champions League and the Premier League, they need their attacking players at the level of what sort of Mo Salah and Luis Diaz have been in these first five or six games.

"That's what Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, and Bobby Firmino were doing for years. It's a great start with Diaz. We need to keep this going, keep this level up, and then you'd be desperate for to sign a new contract."