Liverpool have gone from strength to strength under Arne Slot, with the fight for the Premier League title beginning to look like a procession.
13 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, the Reds are no doubt loving life with the Dutchman at the helm, but this is a team assembled by Jurgen Klopp, and FSG need to get it right in the transfer market this summer to maintain their current level of dominance.
That’s not to say Slot is riding on his predecessor’s coattails; he’s an elite-minded tactician who has defied expectations in establishing Liverpool as Europe’s team to beat in 2024/25.
Alas, signings will be needed during the off-season, for Liverpool are expected to part with several first-team stars.
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It’s March. Liverpool are flying high. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk still haven’t extended their contracts on Merseyside, and are out of a job in just four months.
Transfer guru David Ornstein revealed recently that the industry consensus is that Salah and Van Dijk will stay. However, Trent’s future is far more worrying given Real Madrid have a vested interest in bringing him to La Liga.
Other Redmen could be on the move. Most prominently among them is Darwin Nunez. The Uruguay striker simply isn’t kicking on. It’s a shame, he’s affable and entertaining, but 6 goals from 36 games this season isn’t good enough for an £85m club-record striker.
However, he’s not the only one, with Joe Gomez potentially on the move after a prospective switch to Newcastle United broke down last year.
While Gomez hasn’t enjoyed the most productive of seasons under Slot’s wing, his sale would make signing a new centre-back imperative this summer, for Jarell Quansah would be the only recognised option at the club outside of regular starters Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
Elsewhere, Liverpool will need to figure out what to do with Luis Diaz, a valued and impactful member of the team but perhaps part of that crew of sellable stars.
Why Liverpool should sell Luis Diaz
Only Salah (30) and Cody Gakpo (16) have scored more goals for Liverpool this season than Diaz, who has equalled last season’s tally of 13 having played over 1,000 fewer minutes.
It’s a measure of Slot’s tactical brilliance, and how he has effectively insinuated himself and his teachings into this talented Liverpool squad.
Diaz, 28, has been at Liverpool since January 2022, leaving Porto for an initial £37m to join Klopp’s cause, and he’s had his ups and downs, but there’s no question he’s one of the most valuable members of the outfit, crucial as the title charge continues.
However, he’s about to step into the penultimate year of his £55k-per-week deal and it may be more practical to cash in while his stock is raised, especially since Barcelona retain a long-standing interest.
Were Liverpool to sell both of Diaz and Nunez, FSG would bank quite the pretty penny. For sure, both players would need replacing with first-class forwards, but Anfield has become one of the leading platforms for a player’s career growth over the past decade, and this is something transfer targets will consider with disc-like eyes upon receiving the call.
By the time Diaz’s current contract expires in 2027, he will be 30 years old. There’s no doubting his ability, having been hailed as “one of the best wingers in the world” by Liverpool U21 star Luca Stephenson.
But is he indispensable? For a forward of Diaz’s talent, his numbers leave something to be desired, especially from a creative standpoint. He’s a “livewire” – as dubbed by journalist Peter Hall – but there are yawning holes to his game.
2024/25
38 (28)
13
4
0.45
2023/24
51 (42)
13
5
0.35
2022/23
21 (15)
5
3
0.38
2021/22
19 (14)
4
4
0.42
As a reference point, Diaz’s ostensible predecessor, Sadio Mane, scored 120 goals and supplied 39 assists from 269 appearances for Liverpool, equating to a rate of 0.61 goal involvements per game.
His goals this season have been crucial to Liverpool’s success. Indeed, Diaz has selflessly played in an unconventional focal striker’s role for the good of Slot’s side, but now decisions must be made pertaining to his long-term future.
According to CIES Football Observatory, the world’s leading football statisticians, the Colombian is currently worth about £60m in the modern market – a figure that FSG would surely consider were it lodged during transfer season.
Should Barcelona be willing to act on their intrigue and bring him to Camp Nou, it would be Liverpool’s biggest sale since allowing Philippe Coutinho to head off for pastures new.
In fact, perhaps it could have a similar effect. After all, Liverpool would be selling a silky South American player to the Spanish giants for a hefty sum – with the banked funds then directed toward new impactful signings.
It’s unlikely Liverpool will claim the same sort of money as they did when La Blaugrana last came calling, with a £142m proposal presented to the Anfield side for their Brazilian playmaker, who left just as Klopp’s dynasty was taking off.
The money collected was redirected to Van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson Becker, making a telling comment on Liverpool’s ability to recognise an opportunity and act on it.
Though Coutinho was the bright spark during that backwater period between the gripping 2013/14 campaign and Klopp’s arrival, it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t expendable, for Liverpool went on to lift all the biggest honours with a complete and rounded team.
With 28-year-old Diaz heading into the penultimate year of his contract, some important conversations must be held.
Maybe Liverpool won’t want to sever too large a chunk from their frontline with Nunez seemingly headed for the exit, too. However, if the right opportunity comes along, this would be the perfect time to cash in for a lucrative figure, with Diaz then able to leave as a proud Premier League champion.
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