Renewal Failure! Liverpool's Most Expensive Star Determined to Join Barcelona
As we all know, Luis Diaz is currently one of the most critical stars in Liverpool's team. After years of lying low, he has grown into an absolute mainstay and has performed outstandingly in all positions arranged by new coach Sloet. However, what does not match his performance is that Diaz is one of the lowest-paid players in Liverpool.
According to Spanish media Elnacional, the renewal negotiations between Diaz and Liverpool have unfortunately broken down. He has already rejected the renewal and explicitly stated that he only wants to join Barcelona because he has always been longing for Barcelona since childhood and hopes to wear the jersey of this La Liga giant one day.
At the same time, Barcelona also highly appreciates Diaz's abilities and believes that he perfectly fits the club's playing style, making it a highly recognized two-way pursuit.
Diaz just turned 28, and he joined Liverpool from Porto in the winter transfer window of 2022. At that time, Diaz's market value on "Transfermarkt" was 40 million euros, and the Reds paid a transfer fee of 52 million euros for him.
In his first year at Liverpool, Diaz's market value quickly rose to 75 million euros. However, in the following two years, his market value entered a stagnant period with almost no changes.
This season, Diaz has performed brilliantly, and his market value has continued to grow. His market value has reached 85 million euros, which not only makes him the highest-valued player in Liverpool but also breaks the historical record of the highest market value of Colombian players (previously 80 million euros, created by J Luo).
Judging from the data, Diaz has ushered in his best season at Liverpool.
An overview of Diaz's statistics in each season at Liverpool:
21/22 season: 26 games, 6 goals, 5 assists;
22/23 season: 21 games, 5 goals, 3 assists;
23/24 season: 51 games, 13 goals, 5 assists;
24/25 season: 28 games, 12 goals, 3 assists;
Diaz's contract with Liverpool expires in June 2027, and his current weekly salary is 55,000 pounds. According to British media reports, Liverpool plans to offer him a new contract with a weekly salary increased to 120,000 pounds.
However, Diaz hopes for a salary of 150,000 pounds, which has led to a stalemate in the negotiations and stirred up his desire to leave.
With Diaz's abilities, even a weekly salary of 200,000 pounds would be justified. Despite his strong abilities, he earns such a low wage—ranking 16th in the team with an annual salary of 2.95 million pounds. If Liverpool is unwilling to provide satisfactory raises to the players and they eventually leave, some fans might blame the players...
On the Barcelona side, they have had interest in Diaz for a long time. Last summer, when the negotiation to introduce Spanish prodigy Nico Williams broke down, they had already put Diaz's name on the table.
The Barcelona management believes that Diaz perfectly aligns with the club's long-term plan and tactical system. Even if achieving this transfer requires at least 70 million euros, they are still willing to try.
Finally, how much do you think Diaz is worth in terms of salary? Do you hope he joins Barcelona?