Liverpool go into tonight’s fixture with Atalanta needing another European miracle. The Reds are 3-0 down following a poor display in the first leg at Anfield.
Despite their poor run of recent results, chance creation has not been a problem for Jürgen Klopp’s men. His side have frequently mustered 20 or more shots on goal in a game, but that wastefulness cannot continue if there is to be any chance of another famous European comeback.
One man guilty of a few key misses this season is Luis Díaz. The Colombian still has three years remaining on his contract, but rumours are circulating that should he not be offered an extension, a summer move to Barcelona or PSG could be in store for him.
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight show, we spoke to experienced LFC journalist Neil Jones for his thoughts on the Díaz rumours.
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Neil said:
“It’s just a decision, isn’t it? He’s two-and-a-bit years into his contract. That would be the point where you would start thinking about either a big renewal or a big sale.
“I think there’s a lot of players that you could have – not a 50/50 necessarily – but a more split camp where you went, ‘Would you keep them, or would you sell them this summer?’
“I think Díaz is one of them that if you’ve got a really, really good offer for him, you’d have to think about it. At the same time, if Liverpool went, ‘Right, we’re giving Luis Díaz a new five-year contract,’ I think a lot of people would go, ‘Yeah, good, he’s done really well.’
“It’s an interesting conundrum. It might come down to what offers are available. Maybe it just comes down to the player just coming and saying, ‘I’ve had it now, I fancy Barcelona, or I fancy wherever.’
“I think Díaz is a very good player, but he’s not an irreplaceable player for Liverpool.
“He’s had a good impact at Liverpool. I don’t think he’ll ever quite be the level of Salah and Mané were at Liverpool, in terms of [being] irreplaceable.”
‘Ruben Amorim ticks all the boxes for Liverpool’ – w/Breaking The Lines
Redmen Reacts
When Díaz burst onto the scene after signing in 2022, he looked like the perfect addition to an already well-stocked attack, and someone who could help drive his side forward in their hunt for a quadruple. Unfortunately, the Reds fell short going after the biggest prizes that year, and a bad knee injury saw the Colombian – hailed as ‘really special’ by Klopp himself – miss a large portion of last season. Thankfully he seems to have overcome his knee trouble and has been a mainstay in the side. He has put in some excellent performances at times and has hit double figures in goals for the first time at Liverpool. Despite all the positives, the incoming duo of Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards should not rule out a sale should a good offer come in. The 27-year-old does not look likely to push on and achieve a goal haul similar to that of his predecessor Sadio Mané. As Neil says, he is not irreplaceable, and this summer could be vital in deciding exactly how long his LFC career lasts.
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