Barcelona now hold talks to sign “special” £55,000-a-week Liverpool forward

A “really special” Liverpool player is potentially edging closer to the Anfield exit door this summer, following a new update from Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg.

Liverpool players who could leave this summer

The futures of many Reds players are up in the air ahead of next season, not least Luis Diaz, who has been linked with a move away for a while now. In fact, the Premier League champions are even reportedly eyeing a summer move for Brighton winger Yankuba Minteh, potentially seeing him as a replacement for the Colombian.

Youngster Ben Doak could also leave Liverpool during the summer transfer window and the Scot has been mentioned as a shock option for Merseyside rivals Everton, who are believed to be among a number of clubs interested in signing him.

Meanwhile, Caoimhin Kelleher is set to complete a move to Brentford at any point, while there are also doubts over the futures of defensive pair Kostas Tsimikas and Jarell Quansah.

Harvey Elliott has been mentioned as being part of a swap deal involving Bayer Leverkusen superstar Florian Wirtz, as has Quansah for that matter, and the likes of Federico Chiesa, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez have all been linked with possible exits soon.

Barcelona in talks with Liverpool over £55,000-a-week attacker

Taking to X on Monday, Sky’s Plettenberg reported that Liverpool and Barcelona are now in “initial talks” over the signing of Diaz this summer, with Saudi Pro League clubs also showing an interest.

The £55,000-a-week Diaz has been an impressive signing for the Reds, scoring 17 goals in all competitions this season, and shining in both central and wide roles.

He was also lauded by Jurgen Klopp during their time together: “What a boy, what a story, what a player but he should have scored! He agrees probably. The speed he has is insane. He gets our football 100 per cent. We thought we saw that at Porto. He fits like a glove to our football and that’s really really special.”

Despite this, Diaz has never quite broken into the world-class bracket at Liverpool, and at 28, it is hard to see that changing too much now. He is a very good player but not a truly great one, making him expendable this summer if the price is right.

If he stays, the Colombia international could continue to be useful, but Arne Slot should consider big offers for him from Barcelona or elsewhere, using the money to bring in an upgrade or focus on a different position.