Liverpool ‘battles for $49m transfer’ as Díaz ‘stance’ emerges amid Barça links

Liverpool goes into the summer transfer window with everything falling into place. The club has made wholesale changes off the pitch, with a new coach and sporting director.

Moreover, the club is set to appoint a new assistant manager, with Pep Lijnders following Jürgen Klopp out of the Anfield door. Michael Edwards and Julian Ward are also returning, but the pair are working for FSG and with greater scope within the company, as opposed to their previous roles of working strictly for Liverpool.

Yet it means the club is in the perfect place to hit the ground running in terms of summer signings and give Arne Slot the players he wants ahead of the new season. While the summer transfer window isn’t officially open until July 1, deals will be done before then.

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And with Euro 2024 and the Copa America on the horizon in June, there is still plenty of football to keep us occupied until the return of club football in late August. Liverpool will have players at both international competitions, and one or two signings could be made based on performances made from players in the tournament.

As for club football, there is still the Champions League and Europa Conference League finals still to take place. Here is the Liverpool.com take on some of the biggest stories around European football today.

Liverpool in ‘front row’ for Juventus star

Liverpool is apparently in the ‘front row’ for Juventus winger Federico Chiesa, according to a report in Italy. Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport (print edition via Football Italia) states that Chiesa may not be in the plans of soon-to-be-announced new coach Thiago Motta, and with his contract expiring in the summer of 2025, Juventus may opt to offload Chiesa this summer.

To that end, Tuttosport says that Liverpool leads the race to sign Chiesa, but Alfredo Pedullà adds that Napoli and Roma may try to sign him too. Napoli could be particularly interested should Antonio Conte decide to join the club, with the former Juventus, Inter and Tottenham coach a big fan of the winger.

Chiesa is valued at around $49m (£38m/€45m) heading into the summer, according to TV Play, though few would want the 26-year-old at that price given his contract situation. Newcastle United and Aston Villa have also been linked.

Liverpool.com says: Chiesa’s form has been up and down this season, but he would be a terrific signing for Liverpool. He’s struggled to return to his best after an ACL injury, but if he’s integrated into a more attacking system, he could thrive.

Liverpool stance on Luis Díaz transfer

Liverpool’s ‘tough’ stance on winger Luis Díaz has been made clear amid speculation about a possible move to Barcelona. The Catalan side has reportedly targeted the Colombian as a summer signing.

But with finances still perilous after years of reckless overspending, the club will struggle to find the supposed $95m (£75m/€88m) Liverpool wants to let the player leave. AS reports that Barcelona is also wary of the Reds in the market having been stung during the Philippe Coutinho deal in 2018.

AS states that Barcelona would be willing to sacrifice winger Raphinha in order to fund a move for Díaz, yet it may not be enough to land the 27-year-old. Díaz’s contract with Liverpool doesn’t expire until the summer of 2027 and has given no indication that he wants to leave the club, even though his father had admitted that he wants to see him play in Spain.

Liverpool.com says: Barcelona would find it difficult to afford Díaz even if it sold Raphinha. Moreover, it would be a significant move backward for the player, despite the allure of Barcelona always being there. It’s very doubtful this move will happen, though a big enough offer could be tempting for Liverpool given the Colombian’s age and output.