Liverpool want to protect their star player amid Barcelona interest – Report | OneFootball

Liverpool have been the best team in Europe so far this season, with their transition from Jurgen Klopp to Arne Slot looking as seamless as a fish taking to water. Not many would have envisioned the season that the Reds have been having so far.

Usually, going from a manager who has a legacy as huge as Klopp to a new manager might not be such an easy thing. However, performances of the highest order from players like Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, and Luis Diaz among others have helped Slot.

Among those players, one name that Barcelona are interested in is Luis Diaz. However, as per Fichajes, Liverpool want to protect their star player amid interest from the Spanish club and Manchester City and want to tie him down to a new deal.

The 27-year-old South American winger signed for the club back in 2022 and has a contract until 2027. So far this season, he has played 24 games across all competitions, scoring 12 goals and providing three assists.

For the past couple of seasons at Anfield, Diaz has been largely hit or miss but so far this campaign, he has shown impressive consistency. Often playing as the number nine, the South American has thrived in his new role.

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Barcelona, for some time now, have been looking to reinforce the left-wing position. The emergence of Raphinha this season and his resurgent form has somewhat alleviated concerns in that role but going forward, the club might want another option.

As of now, the two other players in the Barcelona squad who can play from the left are Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati. However, the latter hardly seems capable of staying injury-free while the former plays better as a number nine.

It remains to be seen if Barcelona make a concrete effort to sign Luis Diaz, although one would assume that he would be out of their budget. Let’s wait and see how this transfer plays out in the months to come.