Liverpool hold talks to sign their new Luis Diaz

Liverpool missed prime Mohamed Salah this season, but the profile that Arne Slot really needed was that of Sadio Mane, a physical and electric winger who overwhelmed so many opponents.

Sure, Salah has been abnormally wasteful and ineffective for the Anfield side this season, but the 33-year-old was detached and stripped of confidence on the edge of a failing attacking system.

Yan Diomande could fix this. He is a two-sided winger, utterly ferocious in his output in the danger area, and The Redmen TV’s Dan Clubbe has even remarked that the 19-year-old has “the finishing ability of Mane”.

Liverpool are still pressing for Diomande, but the RB Leipzig winger isn’t the only forward on FSG’s radar, with new coach Andoni Iraola’s left flank also in need of work.

Liverpool in talks to sign big-money winger

Ask a Liverpool fan what their brightest takeaway from the 2025/26 campaign would be, and they would probably talk of the emergence of Rio Ngumoha.

The 17-year-old has enjoyed quite the breakout campaign, and he is tipped for greatness. Partnering him with Diomande down Iraola’s attacking wings could be akin to a cheat code for Liverpool next year.

Of course, Ngumoha is still so young, and while Slot was overly hesitant in unleashing this force of nature, Ngumoha cannot be expected to start twice a week, every week, next season.

As per TEAMtalk, Liverpool are in talks with the representatives of Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, though he is also on the radar of a host of Premier League rivals, including Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.

Williams was the star of the show during the 2024 Euros, which Spain won so confidently, dispatching England in the final. However, his progress has halted somewhat over the past two years, and Liverpool could help bring him back into the limelight.

Boasting a reported £86m release clause, he certainly wouldn’t come cheap, but the 23-year-old is undoubtedly one of the most exciting wingers on the market, and he could become quite the star down Liverpool’s left wing, maybe even matching the impact of Luis Diaz.

How Nico Williams compares to Luis Diaz

Williams could provide the perfect contrast to Ngumoha on the left wing for Liverpool next season. He is one of the most talented attackers in the game, hailed for his “world-class” quality by journalist Zach Lowy.

There’s a sense that Iraola would need to work tooth and nail to bring him out of his shell, but the quality is undeniably there.

Over the past two seasons, Williams has struggled to take the leap of faith and break into the elite sphere. He has the potential to rival anyone in world football, such as Diaz, but he only scored six goals and supplied three assists in La Liga this season, notching ten goal involvements the year before.

Williams, like Diaz, is almost conservative in how he utilises his natural gifts, his pace and his physicality. This means that his explosiveness is heightened, and defenders are left guessing as to when he will decide to launch himself into the danger area.

Of course, Colombian superstar Diaz hasn’t always hit the right heights at Liverpool. In 2023/24, he only scored eight goals across 37 Premier League appearances, for example.

Diaz has undoubtedly operated at a higher level than Williams this season, but he is also nearly six years the Spaniard’s senior, someone who has ebbed and flowed in the past – especially for Liverpool.

What matters is that Williams packs a similar stylistic punch, and he could be the perfect signing for a Liverpool side who are pushing to challenge for the biggest titles once again.

Pundit Wayne Rooney once said, “He reminds me of Cristiano Ronaldo when Cristiano was young.” Williams bears a likeness to the Manchester United legend in temperament and fearlessness, if not quite in style and focus on the field. In this, he could bring the edge that Liverpool have lacked over the past year, with Diaz gone and not replaced.

In that position, Liverpool have one of the world’s brightest young talents in Ngumoha, but Williams and Diomande would be fantastic summer additions all the same, ensuring that Liverpool have the requisite strength to challenge for the biggest titles over the next several years.