Liverpool transfer news latest: Luis Diaz update as Bayern Munich, Barcelona interest in move for winger grows

Liverpool will only allow Luis Diaz to leave the club to Barcelona or Bayern Munich should the sides be prepared to pay significantly more than reports suggest they currently are, Reds transfer expert David Lynch has insisted.

The Merseysiders began their pre-season campaign on Sunday, beating Preston North End 3-1 at Deepdale, with fans and players remembering beloved teammate Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva following their tragic deaths the week prior.

Boss Arne Slot faces the difficult task of preparing his side for the 2025-26 campaign, but he may face the prospect of having to defend the Premier League title without winger Diaz, who reportedly has attracted interest from Bayern and Barca.

Lynch argued that the forward will not be allowed to leave for a cut-price fee, when he told Sports Mole: "From Liverpool's perspective it's helpful to have multiple clubs interested because it can push the price up. If it was just Barcelona you'd be extremely sceptical about their ability to provide the funds.

"But if they've got to compete with Bayern, maybe it'll sharpen their focus a bit, but from my perspective there are no real updates in terms of where that's up to. We're hearing a lot of noise from the Barca side, but Liverpool's position will be the same as it all has been all summer.

"You might be interested, but only if you turn up with the right amount of money, then maybe we can have a discussion. As I understand at the moment, that hasn't happened yet."

Reports suggest that Bayern tabled a bid in the region of £58m for Diaz, though considering wingers like Anthony Elanga and Noni Madueke have been sold for roughly £50m, it is understandable that Liverpool would demand more for their title-winning attacker.

Could Luis Diaz join the Saudi Pro League?

While Bayern Munich and Barcelona are said to be keen on prying Diaz away from Liverpool, it remains to be seen if they can match the Reds' valuation, which is reported to be in excess of £80m.

At that price, the few clubs in Europe would be able to afford to sign the winger, though sides in the Saudi Pro League could make a move.

Lynch did speak of Saudi interest in Diaz, but pondered if the Colombian would prefer staying in Europe, telling Sports Mole: "Interest is ramping up. It's an interesting one in that it's felt like all along in this story that the likeliest club to put up the correct money that would force Liverpool to sell would be Al-Nassr.

"But I get the impression that the player would much prefer to stay in Europe if possible rather than go to Saudi at this moment because Al-Nassr would have come in with the bid by now if [he was more open to leaving to the Saudi Pro League].

"The fact that we're still seeing this interest from European giants being mentioned says a lot about what would be the preference of the player, and he's not given the green light to go to Saudi just yet."

Diaz has two years remaining on his deal, and a decision regarding his future will have to be reached sooner rather than later.

Will Diaz stay at Anfield with Arne Slot?

Considering that Diaz is already 28 years old, Liverpool are unlikely to offer him a lucrative new deal that would take him into his thirties, especially as he does not have a history of elite production.

The forward scored 13 goals in the league in 2024-25, but he had failed to net more than eight times in each of his prior three seasons at the club.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch explained that it is difficult to make a prediction regarding Diaz's future, saying: "It's inherently risky making these predictions because even if I said I think he's 10% likely to stay, that's still a 10% chance and if he stays then people will say you got it wrong.

"These things are tough to judge and it is entirely contingent upon what the other clubs do. I do not know whether Bayern intend to offer us something that would actually interest Liverpool. Similarly with Barcelona and whether they are even able to do that. With Al-Nassr, I don't personally know whether the player is willing to go to Saudi.

"A lot of the doubts come from outside of Liverpool and it's very hard to nail down in this moment. As much as it's sitting on the fence, I would have to say I don't don't know which way this one's going to go. It's up to the clubs to change Liverpool's mind about the hands-off mentality that they've been issuing."

It should be noted that Diaz was utilised as both a winger and a false nine last term, so perhaps his versatility would make him a useful asset next season.

> Click here to listen to the full discussion regarding the future of Luis Diaz

Written by
Lewis Nolan