Arne Slot provides different reasons for Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez's absences

Liverpool stars Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz watched on from the sidelines as Liverpool were defeated by AC Milan in Hong Kong after being left out of Arne Slot's squad on Saturday

Arne Slot has revealed that Luis Diaz was left out of Liverpool's clash against AC Milan due to ongoing talk over his future. Darwin Nunez however, who has also been linked with an exit, had a 'minor' fitness issue which kept him out of the match.

Slot's side fell to a 4-2 defeat against the Italian opposition as the Dutchman looked to get his team up to speed. Florian Wirtz made his debut in front of supporters and showed flashes of his clash but could not inspire Liverpool to victory.

Despite wholesale substitutions, the Reds had a number of players who were unavailable. Waturo Endo missed out through illness, while Alexis Mac Allister is still building up his fitness following injury and is set to miss the game in Japan against Yokahoma FM despite his return to training.

New signing Hugo Ekitike was also unavailable selection as they offered the Frenchman more time to bed into the squad after his arrival earlier this week. Ekitike should feature for the first time on Wednesday.

Both Diaz and Darwin were in attendance at Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong on Saturday but there absence from the squad certainly prompted quick questions over what it could mean for the future. Following the game, it emerged it perhaps meant more for Diaz.

“Yes, Luis Diaz was left out today due to speculation on his future," Slot said following Liverpool's loss.

The Colombia international has been linked to Barcelona and Bayern Munich this summer. The former have since signed Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United but the German giants have move to sign Diaz from Liverpool.

The attacker has been in talks with Liverpool over his future and has two years remaining on his deal.

Bayern are said to have made a second bid for Diaz's services however, having an opening offer of £58million rejected by the Reds, who have made it clear he is not for sale. Whether the player being left out on Saturday signals a change in stance, remains to be seen.

Joe Gomez was not present for the game against Milan after returning to Merseyside due to his Achilles injury. Slot said: "He was, of course, with us for the first part of the week, but he had some Achilles problems.

"We thought it was better to assess it back in England and for him to work on him to come back to the team, probably in more ideal circumstances for him."