Liverpool are closing in on a deal to sign Porto forward Luis Diaz in a £60m deal as Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his attacking options, according the The Sun.
Diaz has developed into one of the hottest talents in European football since joining Porto from Colombian outfit Junior in 2019 with the winger now an established first team regular in Sérgio Conceição’s starting eleven.
The 24-year-old has provided 14 goals and 5 assists in his 24 appearances this season and his impressive form has attracted interest from throughout Europe with Liverpool among those strongly linked in recent months.
Klopp is expected to be busy revamping his squad at the end of the season and he’d ideally wait until the summer to make his move for Diaz. However, the Reds are still competing in four competitions this season and their squad has been badly affected by covid and injuries problems.
Attack is a particular area of concern as Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino, Harvey Elliott and Roberto Firmino are all currently on the sidelines. And with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane now away at the African Cup of Nations, Klopp has limited options in the final third.
Depth
The German boss may now be forced to accelerate his plans to sign Diaz this month instead and The Sun claims that Liverpool are closing in on a deal worth around £60m to sign the Colombian international.
Diaz has a release clause worth £67m but the newspaper says Liverpool are looking to clinch a deal for slightly less with Porto tempted to cash-in and turn a huge profit on the £5m they spent to sign the South American.
The Merseysiders saw first hand how talented Diaz is as he impressed during their Champions League group stage games last year and the attacker would be an exciting addition to Klopp’s squad if they can get this deal over the line.
Diaz is predominantly a left winger but he’s also comfortable playing from the right flank so he’d give Klopp options in attack and provide competition for the likes of Mane and Salah when they’re back from the AFCON.
We’ll have to wait and see how this transfer story unfolds over the coming weeks as other European clubs could step-up their interest but it looks like Liverpool are leading the chase to sign Diaz this month.
