The Reds are said to want the Colombian international but a January signing isn’t likely—ensuring the story can run at least until summer.
One of the few standouts for Primeira Liga side FC Porto when they faced off against Liverpool in the Champions League group stages this autumn was 24-year-old Colombian international forward Luis Diaz.
Over the past month, that seems to have sparked a series of stories, in particular out of the player’s home country, claiming that the Reds see him as a top transfer target—maybe even the top transfer target.
The latest on that front has Jürgen Klopp pushing to sign the player as soon as possible in order to help cover for the pending departures of Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Porto, though, don’t want to deal. Or at least that’s how the story goes amongst those claiming to be in the know. Which would mean the Reds would have to trigger his €80M (£67M) release clause.
However, next summer Porto might be willing to deal, which could bring his fee down to as little as €50M (£42M). It seems a story almost set up to ensure it can and will continue beyond the coming month.
Liverpool paying a £25M premium—or 60% mark-up—to bring the player in a few months early with Salah and Mané only set to miss league games against Brentford and Crystal Palace seems implausible.
Even assuming there’s any truth to the chatter, it seems safe to assume Diaz isn’t arriving imminently. And so whether there’s any truth to it, we should probably expect more Diaz talk in the coming months.
