The first week of July has radically complicated FC Barcelona's plans regarding the signing of a left winger. Nico Williams and Luis Díaz were the most viable options for the Azulgrana board, with the Athletic forward being the 'plan A'. However, unexpected events have turned the future of both players upside down.
On the one hand, the player from Pamplona, when it seemed that everything was agreed with Barça to close his transfer, decided to renew with the Bilbao team. For the second summer in a row, the Spanish international slammed the door on the Azulgrana team, contradicting his initial desire to wear the Culé shirt to finally stay at San Mamés.
With 'Lucho', on the other hand, the panorama is now much more complex. The tragic loss of Diogo Jota closes the doors of Anfield Road to the 'Guajiro', although the signing of Florian Wirtz seemed to be leading to his sale in the summer market.
The reasons why Liverpool is closing the door to Luis Díaz
The '7' has a contract until 2027 and has made it clear to the board his desire to improve his contract or, failing that, change clubs this year. Díaz currently earns 3.5 million net per year, a salary infinitely lower than that of Mohamed Salah (22.5 million gross per year).
In that sense, the 'Reds' board would be willing to discuss the renewal of the Barrancas native soon, who remains a key piece in Arne Slot's scheme. Since his arrival in Merseyside in January 2022, the Colombian international has 41 goals and 23 assists in 148 matches.
With the absence of Diogo Jota, Liverpool loses a key piece in attack and, for logical reasons, no team reference intends to leave at such a sensitive time for the club. An opposite position would be interpreted as betrayal by the Anfield fans and, in fact, the absence of 'Lucho' at the funeral of the Portuguese striker generated noise on social networks.
Díaz ruled out traveling to Portugal, as he had to attend several commercial commitments in his country. Regarding his future, the '7' assured that this week, when he joins the pre-season, he will meet with the board to discuss his contract. However, he declined to refer to any rumors related to his departure.
"We are calm where I am, we continue talking and we have to see", said the 'Guajiro' to the local channel 'Win Sports'. For Deco and Hansi Flick, the South American player seems an ideal bet, since it is not only a natural left winger.
Luis Díaz, an intelligent bet for Barça?
Luis can also play as an attacking midfielder and/or 'false 9', with which he could alternate positions without problem with Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski. However, the 'Reds' would only accept a transfer in the order of 75-80 million euros, an unattainable price at this time for the Azulgrana team.
While waiting to resolve the return to rule 1:1, Barça plans to invest a maximum of 70 'kilos' in reinforcing the left side of its attack. The other alternatives for the position are Marcus Rashford and Rafael Leao, the latter also in a complicated situation at Milan due to his desire to leave and the 'rossoneri' insistence on demanding a high transfer fee.
In any case, Barça still has enough time to resolve its problems with 'Fair Play' and define which alternative fits best in its sports and financial planning. Deco could make a new effort for Luis Díaz, but everything points to his permanence in Anfield and the Culés will be respectful of the position of the English team and the player himself.
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