Luis Diaz will stay with Liverpool after Barcelona finally decided to pull the trigger on a move for Dani Olmo.
The Reds’ Colombian winger was linked with a move to Catalonia this summer and it was suggested that he was interested in pursuing a switch to Spain. But Diaz’s future now looks to have been decided in what will be a major boost to Liverpool and new boss Arne Slot.
The winger, 27, signed for Liverpool from Porto in January 2022. He has since made 98 appearances for the Reds and scored 24 goals in all competitions. Diaz still has three years left to run on his contract at Anfield.
Diaz has not been a priority target for Barcelona this summer and now they are set to complete a £48million deal for RB Leipzig and Spain star Dani Olmo.
Speaking in May about his Liverpool future, Diaz said: "You learn more and more to be a professional, to be a better person, to be a good teammate and a good guy. The truth is that I am very happy to be here. Great years are coming for the club, I have no doubt about that.
"Personally, I will always try to do my best, always try to give 100 per cent, to always stand out on the field, which is what I came [here] to do. I’m always grateful to God for every opportunity."
Meanwhile, Diaz’s Dad admitted last year that a move to Barcelona would be a “dream” for the Liverpool star. “[The] truth is that I know very little about Barcelona at the moment,” Diaz Snr.
“It is true that Luis is a loyal Barcelona fan and it would be his dream to go there. So far I would like to thank Porto and Liverpool for the way they welcomed him and received him.
“Luis is a player who finds it easy to win over because of the way he is, because of his humility, his work, his dedication, he is a very disciplined player, thank God. There would be no problem if Luis came to Barcelona because it is a top team and one of the best in the world.”
Diaz staying put means Slot has decisions to make over other members of his squad. Fabio Carvalho has impressed in pre-season and been linked with newly-promoted pair Leicester and Southampton - who had a £15million offer rejected - while Bobby Clarke and Tyler Morton could both make loan moves this season.