May Liverpool followers be put by way of the wringer concerning one more contractual saga at Anfield?
An excellent 2024/25 season on the pitch was performed out amid a long-running backdrop of uncertainty surrounding the futures of Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold as all of them teetered on the point of seeing their contracts expire this summer season.
Mercifully the Egyptian winger and Dutch centre-back penned new two-year offers in April, however one in every of their teammates now finds himself on the epicentre of hypothesis concerning how for much longer he’ll stay on Merseyside.
Luis Diaz nonetheless has two years remaining on his present phrases at Liverpool, however The Athletic‘s David Ornstein indicated final week that there’s presently ‘little expectation of a contemporary settlement’ being struck earlier than June 2027.
The Colombian can also be reportedly being eyed by Saudi Professional League membership Al-Nassr for a possible £72m switch supply, regardless of Anfield chiefs telling Barcelona that they’ve no plans to promote the 28-year-old.
Liverpool seemingly hesitant to supply Diaz a brand new deal
Liverpool Echo journalist Ian Doyle touched upon the Colombian’s contract scenario on the most recent episode of the Blood Crimson podcast, and his data didn’t precisely scream {that a} renewal might be imminent.
He mentioned: “Diaz as nicely, I’m unsure whether or not they’re massively eager to present him a brand new contract. I don’t know.
“They’re not pushing to do it. Not that they received’t do it, however he’s bought two years left, and since he’s 28, it appears like, ‘nicely, we’ll simply see how issues go’. Whether or not that includes Saudi Arabia coming in with a bid for £85m, then you definately go, hmm…”
Shocking that Liverpool appear so not sure about preserving Diaz long-term
With Diaz nonetheless having two years to run on his present deal, we’d wish to suppose that there’s nonetheless loads of time for him and the Liverpool hierarchy to work in direction of hanging an settlement, particularly if he replicates the influence that he had throughout the 2024/25 season, by which he was the Reds’ third-highest scorer with 17 objectives.
It’d be completely different if he solely had 12 months remaining on his contract, by which case FSG could be justified in accepting any potential big-money affords from abroad in order that the nightmare situation of shedding him on a free switch could be averted.
The Colombian continues to be solely 28 and has been producing the products on the pitch, so it appears peculiar that Anfield chiefs are apparently hesitant about making an attempt to tie him all the way down to a brand new deal, until there’s a robust sense internally that he might be eyeing a transfer elsewhere within the subsequent yr or two.
It hasn’t helped that the participant not too long ago declared that his agent is talking to different golf equipment throughout the switch window, whereas additionally showing to try to put the onus on LFC to supply him passable phrases.
Admittedly a bid of £70m or extra for Diaz this summer season might be tough for Liverpool to show down, however that’d current a special problem when it comes to recruiting a positional different of comparable or superior high quality who’d be an acceptable match for Arne Slot’s group.
It’s a tough dilemma for FSG to ponder, and perhaps that’s why they’re not dashing into talks with the Reds’ quantity 7 over a potential contract extension. Hopefully a decision may be discovered sooner slightly than later or, failing that, LFC obtain a good worth for the ahead in the event that they determine to money in on him.
