Liverpool expect bid for “world-class” £72m star

Trent Alexander-Arnold has left Liverpool. In fairness, FSG have done very well indeed here, banking around £10m to allow the right-back to join Real Madrid early, so that he can play under Xabi Alonso in next month’s Club World Cup.

It was tired saga, an indisputable stain on Liverpool’s incredible Premier League triumph. Ah well, it will come out in the wash. Now that the whole ordeal is over, we can turn toward the exciting incomings heading Anfield’s way.

Jeremie Frimpong has completed his medical, and his transfer to Anfield will be announced imminently, while deals for Florian Wirtz and Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez are in the pipeline. Liverpool also want a new number nine.

However, this can’t all happen without a few exits. Let’s take a look at who might be leaving Arne Slot’s Reds this summer.

Who could be leaving Liverpool

Alexander-Arnold wasn’t the only one in tears as Liverpool lifted the Premier League title after their season-closing draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Harvey Elliott cut a poignant figure, for the young playmaker has been limited to a bit-part role this season and looks like he may leave. Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund are mooted names, with Liverpool demanding £50m.

With Frimpong inbound, Kostas Tsimikas’ five-year stay at the club may be at an end. Andy Robertson, 31, has been on the decline, but he wants to stay and challenge Kerkez for a place, and there won’t be room for three.

Darwin Nunez is perhaps the most nailed-on for a departure. Liverpool want a striker, but can’t move forward without the sale of their club-record man, whose well-documented struggles in England have left him with just seven goals from 47 matches across all competitions this term.

It’s been frustrating to watch the Uruguayan struggle, especially since those early hopes he would emulate his countryman Luis Suarez and become a superstar at Liverpool.

Elsewhere, curious reports of Bayern Munich’s interest in Cody Gakpo have also surfaced this week, but it seems unlikely FSG would allow the left-sided forward, behind only Mohamed Salah in Liverpool’s scoring charts this season, to leave.

However, Luis Diaz is also being targeted by suitors and may well be set for an exit in the coming months.

FSG expecting bid for key player

According to transfer insider Ben Jacobs, Liverpool are expecting to hear from Saudi officials in the coming weeks, with Al Nassr – who are requesting funding to make an offer – identifying Diaz as their top target.

Jacobs believes Diaz is likely to cost in excess of €85m (£72m) if he’s to leave Anfield this summer, with his potential exit certainly not a formality.

Barcelona also have a long-standing interest in the 28-year-old, with La Blaugrana in particular publicly revealing their admiration for the player as they weigh up a bid.

It’s thought that Diaz is pushing for a new contract at Anfield, earning just £55k per week and entering the penultimate year of his current deal.

Why Diaz could be another Luis Suarez

While it might seem a good idea to take a big offer for Diaz, he’s regarded as a “world-class” player by former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and replacing him effectively, with other areas in need of investment, could be tricky.

Indeed, the Colombian has just enjoyed his finest campaign at Liverpool, scoring 17 goals and providing eight assists across all competitions.

Moreover, his underlying technical data is highly impressive. As per FBref, the skilful star ranks among the top 13% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top-five leagues this term for goals scored, the top 7% for pass completion, the top 19% for successful take-ons and the top

Selling Diaz while at the top of his game could even mimic the one-time sale of Suarez to Barcelona, the football legend joining Camp Nou in a deal worth £75m back in 2014.

There are differences, of course, but Liverpool would be relinquishing a South American star after a season competing at the peak of the Premier League.

But feelings of indifference toward Diaz are misguided: as Suarez was under Brendan Rodgers, Diaz is one of the finest players in the world in his position, perhaps a little wasteful here and there, but still producing impressive numbers that other players may struggle to replicate.

As you can see, Raphinha and Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola were the only left-sided forwards across Europe’s top-five leagues who outscored Diaz this season, and he was indeed the highest scorer in the Premier League.

Suarez scored 82 goals across 133 matches for the Reds. He is, of course, an out-and-out centre-forward, but the principle remains: Liverpool would be skating across thin ice in allowing their fleet-footed maverick to depart with plenty more upheaval taking place down Anfield Road.

It’s a tricky one: Diaz is one of the best wingers in the Premier League, instrumental in winning the thing under Slot’s leadership this season, and having completed his most productive individual season in a Liverpool shirt too.

However, he’s also going to be 30 by the time his current deal expires at the end of the 2026/27 campaign, and suitors seem willing to at least consider paying a handsome figure to take him from Merseyside.

Much to consider, however; is Diaz really such a liability in this team? Is his prowess unfairly darkened by Salah’s ridiculous output, hardly a fair yardstick to compare against any talented winger?

Liverpool might just come to look at their banked sums, should Diaz depart, with a similar ruefulness to when Suarez up and left for riches abroad.

That said, resilience and intensity have led Slot’s Liverpool to success this season, and they should be able to overcome such a setback.