Former Liverpool star strongly warns against Bayern Munich signing Luis Diaz

Liverpool rejected a £58.5million transfer bid from Bayern Munich amid Luis Diaz's desire to leave Anfield but the Bundesliga champions have been warned about signing him

Former Liverpool and Bayern Munich star Dietmar Hamann has urged his old club to abandon their pursuit of Luis Diaz. The Colombian is understood to have told Liverpool that he wants to leave the club and would be open to joining Bayern.

But that didn't stop the Reds from rejecting a £58.5million bid from the German giants earlier this week. Diaz, 28, has two more years on his contract and remains an important player for Arne Slot, having made 50 appearances last season.

Despite Barcelona being heavily linked with the left winger, Bayern made the first move by submitting an offer. The Bundesliga champions want to sign at least one forward this summer, having seen Leroy Sane depart for Galatasaray upon the expiry of his contract and Jamal Musiala suffer a broken leg and dislocated ankle during a horrific incident at the Club World Cup.

But they should avoid Diaz, according to Hamann. Speaking to Sky Germany, the ex-Liverpool and Bayern midfielder voiced his concerns over signing the former Porto star, who moved to Anfield in January 2022 for £37.5m.

Hamann asked: "To now bring in Luis Diaz, a 28-year-old South American who played 50 games per season for four or five years and has those long flights home - which are also a problem - to pay 70 or 80 million for that, while the sale value is zero because he would be 32 at the end of his contract, I wonder what they even have the campus [academy] for?"

Instead of Diaz, Hamann recommends that Bayern sign ex-Brighton right winger Brajan Gruda. The 21-year-old joined Mainz last summer and has impressed in both the Bundesliga and the recent under-21 European Championship for Germany.

"I would get Gruda," Hamann, who came through Bayern's academy before making over 100 appearances at senior level, declared. "For me, he's one of the best German players. He was injured for a long time, but played very well towards the end of the season. Gruda can play on the outside and in the middle. He would be my first option."

Although Diaz is open to joining Bayern, his agent has reportedly met with Barcelona's sporting director, Deco. During an interview with Catalan radio station RAC 1, Deco confirmed their interest in both the Liverpool forward and Marcus Rashford.

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"We like Luis, we like Rashford, and we like other players," Deco said. "Out of respect, talking about players who are under contract with other clubs is complicated. When we go to the market, there are names we know that could improve the team."

Barca manager Hansi Flick also commented towards the end of last season: "I don't want to speak about players which are not in my team, but of course Luis Diaz and Marcus Rashford are fantastic players. I like them and we'll see what happens."