Should Luis Diaz be sold? Our Liverpool writer argues with himself

New York Times

18 hours ago

The noise surrounding Luis Diaz and a potential move away from Liverpool will not go away.
German champions Bayern Munich are the latest to test the club's stance that they are not interested in selling the 28-year-old this summer. The response was the same one Barcelona got when they enquired last month.
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So what should Liverpool do with Diaz?
It's a topic that is ideal for a (sensible) Friday evening chat at the pub with a pint. There are multiple opinions, options and avenues available — but what makes the most sense?
Given it's Thursday morning and I'm on the clock, the pub is my work desk, the pint is a glass of water and I'm splitting my brain into two — Andy and Andrew — to discuss Diaz.
Andy: There's no debate. Diaz has to stay. He is coming off his most productive season at Liverpool — 17 goals and eight assists in 50 appearances. He played a key role in the forward line that fired them to a Premier League title playing as a left winger before transitioning into the No 9 role where he became the preferred option.
He is a player that Slot trusts and his adaptation to the striker role increased his versatility and value to the head coach because he can choose between different tactical set-ups depending on opponents.
With all that in mind, Liverpool are right not to be entertaining his sale. Given fellow attackers Darwin Nunez and Federico Chiesa are set to depart, and the significant changes made in other areas of the squad, you're beginning to move into the dangerous area of trying to change too much too quickly.
Andrew: Sorry, Andy, but it's not that clear-cut. Surely Liverpool should be looking to cash in on a player entering the final two years of his contract and arguably at peak value. Diaz is 28, turning 29 in January, and has two years remaining on his contract. Any transfer fee Liverpool could get will begin to decrease after this summer.
Diaz had a very good campaign last season and answered some of the questions about his end product – but he did go through a 19-game spell where he scored only once despite playing the central role.
While the send-offs for players at the end of their contracts in recent years have been a nice gesture, money needs to be made to fund incomings. Are we really deciding to keep him with the possibility of him leaving for free?
The club has already foregone one potentially massive transfer fee with Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving for Real Madrid, and are in danger of that scenario repeating itself with Ibrahima Konate, who is now in the last year of his deal with no sign of an extension being signed. It's just bad business to keep allowing this to happen.
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Andy: Well, that's not how Liverpool seem to see it. It feels like allowing contracts to run down and players to leave for nothing has almost become part of their business model. That may make the accountants twitchy, but it's all about weighing up the sporting benefits of keeping the player against the financials.
The No 9 position was central to many discussions last season. The two natural strikers Slot had to choose from – Nunez and Diogo Jota – also struggled to produce in an attack that was built around Mohamed Salah and designed to primarily create chances for the wide players.
If Liverpool feel Diaz will contribute to trophy success in the next two seasons, then they will value that higher than a transfer fee they get this summer.
Andrew: But is there not some logic in giving him a new contract, retaining his value and then selling him in two years for a fee? Is that not better than getting nothing back for him in 2027?
Andy: The contract situation is interesting because Liverpool have been able to benefit from an agreement where Diaz seems to be contributing significantly more than he is being paid. From on-pitch and business standpoints, that is a positive for the club.
He arguably does deserve a new deal if he is to remain a key part of Liverpool's plans but say he wants four more years, which is probably what a 28-year-old would be searching for. That would take him up until the age of 32, while also doubling his wages.
As we know, Liverpool only want players entering their thirties with multiple years remaining on their contract in exceptional circumstances — essentially if your name is Virgil van Dijk or Salah.
Hopefully this is never the case, but say Diaz suffered a significant injury – that reduces the number of clubs who would be in for him, his value and leaves Liverpool in a situation where they may be unable to move him on.
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It's a risk they don't need to take and, ultimately, Diaz made it clear in an interview a few months ago that he is happy at Liverpool and will play out the remainder of his current contract if no offers are forthcoming.
Andrew: That may be true, but are we sure that there is no chance Liverpool will sell this summer? That may be the club's stance right now but do you believe that if, say, a £70m-80m offer was tabled by Barcelona, Bayern Munich or a Saudi club, that position would hold?
I struggle to see how Liverpool could turn down an offer of that size. If we are talking about 'market opportunities' — the buzzword of the moment — then that has to be one.
It would allow them to reinvest in somebody like Anthony Gordon, who we know is well liked and offers a similar skill set – albeit he is more pacy and less skilful – and positional flexibility to Diaz. Instantly, Liverpool would add a younger, homegrown player to the squad and probably get the same amount of production from Gordon next season. There are other options out there, too, who would fit the age profile, tactical flexibility and attributes required.
Andy: There are only a small number of players who are genuinely not for sale at any price. Arguably, Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are two of them. So, yes, if Liverpool received an offer that blew them away then they would be sure to consider it.
But they have already changed plenty this summer. Two new full-backs in Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez and a new creative in Florian Wirtz will mean tactical tweaks next season. Add in a potential new centre-back and No 9 and there's even more integrating to do.
Cohesion is something Slot spoke about last season and while he has experience of squad overhauls at Feyenoord and a free summer without international competitions to disrupt pre-season, continuity is still important. Forcing change when it's not a necessity can be detrimental, especially ahead of defending a league title.
Andrew: I'm all about retaining the Premier League title, and maybe seeing the club lift more silverware next season. And I suppose you could look to move Diaz on next summer, too.
This does all come back to whether Liverpool are going to sign a No 9 this summer, given Nunez seems to be on his way. If they choose not to spend big in an inflated market, then Diaz will probably continue to fill in that role next season — but if that's the case, you worry that the lack of a natural centre-forward may come back to haunt them.
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Andy: It's a risk, for sure, but Liverpool won plenty of games last season with Diaz through the middle.
Ultimately, when he's in form, he's a brilliant player to watch, full of fun and dynamism. Let's enjoy that while he's here and if he produces another season like his most recent, with Wirtz pulling the strings, Liverpool's stance will be the right one.
(Top photos: Getty Images)