Liverpool are thought to be demanding in the region of €80 million (£67.2 million; $89.3 million) for Luis Díaz amid growing transfer interest from Barcelona, reports in Spain have claimed.
The Colombian forward has long been linked with a move to Catalonia despite repeatedly stressing his love of all things Liverpool. Barcelona’s run to the Champions League semifinals and domination of Spanish football has only served to make Hansi Flick’s side an enticing destination.
Díaz is said to be “attracted to the idea” of playing for Barcelona, but the Catalans would have to stump up €80 million to secure his services, SPORT claim. The freshly crowned La Liga champions are also embroiled in a long-running saga revolving around a move for Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford.
Unlike the Aston Villa loanee—who is reportedly willing to take a pay cut to move to Spain—Díaz’s wages are not expected to be a stumbling block for Barcelona. Whether they can match Liverpool’s steep asking price is another matter entirely.
The financially-strained Catalan giants have not spent more than €80 million on a single player since Antoine Griezmann joined the club from Atlético Madrid in 2019. Barcelona have spent little more than a combined €90 million on the arrival of their last eight signings.
However, there have been hints of a loosening for the purse strings this summer. Deco, the club’s sporting director, revealed that the club is always striving for improvement in each transfer window and specifically identified a new winger as a priority position.
“Suddenly we feel quite dependent on Raphinha and Lamine [Yamal],” Deco recently admitted. “Maybe we need similar players, a solution for them [when they’re not available].”
Díaz has recorded the most prolific season of his European career under Arne Slot’s watch this season, racking up 17 goals and five assists across all competitions. Yet, those figures don’t come close to the mind-boggling numbers put up by Yamal (17 goals, 21 assists) and Raphinha (34 goals, 22 assists).
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool ‘Set’ Luis Diaz Price Tag Amid Barcelona ‘Interest’.
