Liverpool have set their sights on signing a striker this summer, with FSG finally tiring of Darwin Nunez’s wastefulness in front of goal and engaging in transfer talks with Serie A champions Napoli.
The Uruguayan joined Liverpool from SL Benfica in a deal initially worth £64m back in 2022, but three years on, he’s only scored 25 times across 94 Premier League appearances, missing 55 big chances in the process, as per Sofascore.
The maverick’s troubles led to Luis Diaz being placed in a focal role at number nine, with Arne Slot recognising the Colombian’s dynamic qualities to establish him as a moonlit striker, a move which proved invaluable given Liverpool fought their way to the league title – winning comfortably in the end.
Diaz is one of the best around, but he’s 28 and entering the second-to-last year in his £55k-per-week contract. With FSG reluctant to extend the versatile forward’s deal, he may well be playing in different colours come August.
The latest on Luis Diaz’s Liverpool future
When Barcelona came calling for Diaz at the start of June, Liverpool’s chiefs responded in the negative. Emphatically. Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards had concurred that it might be best to run the South American’s contract down, thus eking out his value on the field.
However, suitors have persisted, and Diaz appears keen on a switch, with Saudi clubs and Bayern Munich also showing a vested interest.
Liverpool’s winger-striker scored 17 goals and supplied eight more across all competitions last season, but he ebbed and flowed on the clinical front, his potency often coming in rich bursts.
If Liverpool were to cash in this summer, they’d be looking for a significant amount. And while Cody Gakpo has nailed down a starting berth on the left flank and Liverpool have signed Florian Wirtz in a move rising to a British-record £116m too, a direct replacement would be needed.
Ideally, someone with similarly electric qualities and a natural versatility. FSG have just the man in mind.
Liverpool plot bid for Diaz heir
According to Football Insider, Liverpool are now planning to launch a late-window bid for Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon, the interest likely a product of Diaz’s potential sale.
The 24-year-old is believed to have told friends he was “very keen” on re-joining the club he left as an 11-year-old, and though Slot would love to sign him in the coming weeks, the Magpies privately value him at £100m.
Why Liverpool want Anthony Gordon
Liverpool’s interest in Gordon has stood long enough that faith should be placed in Hughes and Edwards and the club’s data analysts, who are so envied across the Premier League.
For have they not earned our trust? Have Liverpool not proved time and time again that they are capable of hitting the jackpot when it comes to signings which might at first split opinion?
Diaz is a fantastic player, more refined and accomplished than Gordon, but that’s not to say that the England international doesn’t have the skill set to succeed him.
Indeed, in January 2023, after joining Newcastle from Everton in a £45m deal, Gordon went on to win Newcastle’s 2023/24 Player of the Year, notching 26 goal contributions in the Premier League.
It’s for this reason that he could emulate Diaz, especially when considering the gains he could make in Slot’s system, coached by a man who has raised talents like Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch, turned them into elite-level players.
He might have taken a step down somewhat last season, but injuries played their part there, and he demonstrated previously an ability to step up when his team needed him most, something Diaz did with such aplomb on Merseyside last year.
He’s also positionally versatile in a similar manner to Diaz, strengthening the argument that he would be a fitting heir. While Gordon would expect to play in his favoured left-wing role, where he has described himself as being “a nightmare for anyone” he comes up against, he will expect to be fielded across various positions, as he has done at Newcastle.
Liverpool’s ability to adapt and overcome is a staple that runs deeper than Slot’s tenure, than Jurgen Klopp’s legendary dynasty. It’s woven into the club’s very fabric. It’s what makes Liverpool special.
Gordon will know this, of course, for he is a boyhood fan and would leap at the chance to return. FSG have a big decision to make, but Diaz is approaching 30 and perhaps renewing his contract wouldn’t be the most prudent move, even if he is a high-level player.
Wirtz and Gakpo would help Gordon transition, and Slot’s coaching would indeed help the Three Lions talent bloom into something truly frightening.
Who knows, maybe this time next year we’ll be celebrating more silverware at this special football club, with the new Luis Diaz having played an instrumental role in the success.