Liverpool weighing up transfer for £68m “celebrity”

Liverpool‘s rivals are solely going to get stronger after Arne Slot‘s dominant debut season in England, guiding his new membership towards the Premier League title, and comfortably at that.

However, the Reds have bolstered their defensive flanks with the additions of Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, additionally signing German playmaker Florian Wirtz for a £100m payment, which might rise to a British-record £116m with add-ons.

Nevertheless, Darwin Nunez has been mooted for a switch to Napoli after a marketing campaign which left a lot to be desired, having began solely as soon as within the high flight since Boxing Day.

And now, Luis Diaz‘s future on Merseyside has been solid into additional doubt, regardless of Liverpool retorting with an emphatic no when Barcelona got here calling a month in the past.

The newest on Luis Diaz’s Liverpool future

Liverpool will probably be anticipating a recent strategy from Barcelona for Diaz, who, aged 28, is coming into the next-to-last yr of his contract amid issues over his £55k-per-week contract.

Moreover, Bayern Munich have been reported by BILD to have agreed private phrases with the versatile ahead, and an official bid is predicted to observe.

In 2024/25, Diaz loved his most efficient season in a Liverpool shirt, scoring 17 objectives and eight assists throughout all competitions.

Jurgen Klopp praised him as an “unbelievable expertise” after his Reds debut in 2022, and Slot’s teaching has raised his sport to an excellent greater stage.

If Diaz does go away – and it could take a major determine for FSG to acquiesce to his sale – Liverpool would want to signal a alternative to contest with Cody Gakpo on the left wing. And so they seem to have lined up their man.

Liverpool plan hijack for Premier League star

As per The Impartial’s Miguel Delaney, Liverpool are considering a bid for Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, though Arsenal are agency favourites to signal the attacking midfielder.

Eze, 27, is of a ‘long-standing curiosity’ to the Anfield facet, and Delaney believes they may act on it if Diaz is offered, as is turning into more and more probably, ought to current developments be something to go by.

With a £68m launch clause in his contract, the Three Lions star actually would not come low cost; nonetheless, he is been tracked for some time and would possibly show the proper alternative for the noncommittal Diaz.

What Eberechi Eze would convey to Liverpool

Eze is not an out-and-out winger; endowed with blistering tempo and dynamic bodily qualities, he has most of the time been deployed as a cellular quantity ten, hailed as a “magician” by pundit Micah Richards.

Nevertheless, with Wirtz already signed and equally in a position to shift from huge to central berths with easy model, Liverpool might rating a blinder by reeling the Premier League-proven expertise in to contest with the goal-focused Gakpo.

Having scored the profitable purpose in Palace’s extraordinary FA Cup last overcome Manchester Metropolis in Might, Eze actually has the big-game aura to reach Slot’s Liverpool, enhancing yr by yr after leaving Queens Park Rangers.

As per FBref, Eze completed the 2024/25 Premier League marketing campaign ranked among the many high 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers for photographs taken, the highest 11% for shot-creating actions, the highest 10% for profitable take-ons, and the highest 14% for ball recoveries per 90.

How about Diaz? The South American participant was extra prolific, ranked among the many high 4% of positional friends for objectives scored per 90, but in addition the highest 18% for shot-creating actions, the highest 17% for profitable take-ons, and the highest 47% for ball recoveries per 90.

Diaz, then, was a tad extra reserved in his athletic output. Oh, he has the tempo and energy and the vitality ranges, however there is not any denying Eze yields extra accountability in making issues occur within the last third, and this may very well be utilised fantastically by Slot at Liverpool.

The colourful midfielder’s duties as an Eagle have seen him turn into one thing larger than his pure capability. He has taken his root qualities and nurtured a development which has blended all that pure aptitude with a tenacious mentality and a will to see his title scrawled throughout the headlines.

Described as a “celebrity” by analyst Ben Mattinson, the England expertise is moving into his prime, and he proved as such final season. He proved he has the instruments to completely exchange a participant similar to Diaz. In any case, he notched 25 purpose contributions throughout the marketing campaign, as many as his Liverpool counterpart.

However Eze is not only a prolific risk, and he is not all creativity both. Sofascore have recorded that the fleet-footed expertise averaged 4.6 floor duels and 1.1 tackles per top-flight fixture, additionally protecting it crisp with an 82% cross completion charge.

Eze has by no means demonstrated he can hit the sort of goalscoring numbers Diaz did at Liverpool final yr, however then the Colombian has been settled right into a fluent and imperious outfit, one of many best on the continent.

And is such pedantry really an correct illustration of the respective forwards? Eze, in spite of everything, bagged 14 objectives throughout the current marketing campaign, ending solely three behind the Reds star.

In any case, each are unbelievable gamers, and if Diaz does go away for Germany or Spain, Liverpool might do loads worse than signing a Premier League sensation in Eze. Saying that, might the Premier League champions do any higher?

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