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Liverpool has rejected an offer from Bayern Munich for Luis Diaz, with the player’s future quickly becoming the biggest outgoing transfer saga of the window for the Reds.
Diaz, who played 36 of Liverpool’s 38 Premier League games in the title-winning campaign, has attracted interest from Barcelona and Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr this summer, in addition to the recent offer from Bayern.
However, Liverpool is refusing to enter into negotiations and the club is sticking firmly to its stance that it does not plan to sell Diaz this window. That was the response when Barcelona came knocking earlier this window and when Bayern tentatively first reached out to the Reds on July 2. Now that an official offer has been forthcoming, it has been immediately rejected.
While the Reds are insistent that Diaz is not for sale, like any player, bids of a certain nature must be taken seriously. That price is seen at Anfield as above the €100million ($117M/£87M) mark, although that’s viewed more as a value for internal auditing rather than a transfer asking price.
It’s not a figure plucked out of thin air, but based on moves elsewhere this summer. With Mohammed Kudus, Joao Pedro and Matheus Cunha all costing upwards of €63M ($74M/£55M) in the current market, Liverpool sees a title-winning player in the peak years of his career as someone whose valuation should be significantly higher.
That only Mohamed Salah played more games for Liverpool than Diaz’s 50 last season underlines just how vital he is in Arne Slot’s squad, while the ability to play anywhere across the front three is also a valuable quality.
Liverpool also feels the €115M (£100M/$135M) valuation given to Bruno Fernandes earlier this summer is also an important yardstick when assessing Diaz’s price.
The Manchester United captain, who is two years older than Diaz, turned down the opportunity to join Al-Hilal, instead opting to remain at Old Trafford.
Liverpool's only issue is Diaz’s contract length, with the winger's current deal at Anfield having just two years remaining.
The ex-Porto man said ahead of the summer that he expected to discuss an extension with the club, but that has not yet emerged.
In fact, Liverpool’s stance all summer has been that it is not planning to begin contract negotiations and would even let the player’s deal expire.
This approach has been used before, famously with Trent Alexander-Arnold this summer, but also with James Milner, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Roberto Firmino.
This means that, for now, pending an offer in the $117M region, Liverpool supporters should expect Diaz to remain a Red when the new season kicks off in a month.
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