Luis Diaz to Barcelona moves one step CLOSER | OneFootball

Luis Diaz is a wanted man and Liverpool are heavily considering letting him go.

Talks for a new contract with an upgraded wage packet have stalled and the possibility of taking him off our books altogether this summer is not an unforeseeable one.

The Colombian has delivered his best campaign in a Liverpool shirt to date this season, but his lack of consistency has been frustrating. Now that he's 28 years old, the fans are expecting more of him.

But this feeling is not one that is shared on the continent by Barcelona's sporting director Deco and the executives running the Saudi Pro League are also interested in the left-winger.

As such, it's plausible that a deal could be beneficial for both parties. Liverpool would lose a surplus player and receive a financial boost, meanwhile the players' suitors would gain a unique asset to use.

Barcelona narrow down their winger targets

According to the Daily Mail, the £40m asking price for Marcus Rashford from Manchester United has been deemed too high for Barcelona to consider. They cite Bild's information that only a loan deal for the Englishman would be something that might interest the Spanish giants.

Furthermore, the report adds: "They [Barcelona] would reportedly rather invest in Liverpool's Luis Diaz. The winger's future at Anfield is uncertain as he enters the last two years of his current deal.

"And in the event a move for Diaz fails, it is believed that Barcelona have two more aces up their sleeve - Bayern Munich star Kingsley Roman and Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli."

As such, it is not quite a case of Diaz or bust, but the Colombian is now firmly top of their list.

One slight caveat to their interest is how much Liverpool might be wanting for him. The £40m valuation for Rashford might be too high for Barcelona because they don't think he's worth that, or the Catalan club might simply be extremely limited in how much they can pay for a winger in general.

If that were the case, then the Saudi route might be a more plausible exit strategy, because the Saudi clubs that are backed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) are known for offering lucrative deals for stars that they feel will add allure to the competition.

Beyond that, Liverpool might feel happy to keep him. The addition of a playmaker in Florian Wirtz will no doubt help increase the output of the Reds' forwards and Diaz might benefit greatly from staying.

These decisions will be discussed in conversations over the next few weeks now that the summer transfer window has officially opened as of June 1 for 10 days and then for six weeks from June 17.

Of course, Liverpool already have a ready-made replacement for Diaz in Cody Gakpo and the money that the Colombian would bring in could add a substantial amount to the club's spending budget.

Regardless of what happens, however, the player is contracted until 2027 and next summer will also be a potential selling window if the club is unsuccessful this summer. We will either have the player to utilise for title-retention campaign or we will have greater spending power to bring in other recruits.