Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Liverpool have yet to enter into serious negotiations with Liga Nos outfit Porto over their star attacker Luis Diaz, though noted that a scout had been sent to keep tabs on the winger last year.
The update came in tweet form, adding weight to Athletic reporter James Pearce’s prior assertion ruling out a move for the Colombian in the winter window.
https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1479126446224326656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1479126446224326656%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.redditmedia.com%2Fmediaembed%2Frxih34%3Fresponsive%3Dtrueis_nightmode%3Dfalse
With a release clause of £67m to contend with, however, the Reds’ reluctance to enter into any talks over the 14-goal man is understandable, particularly given that Sergio Conceicao’s men are unlikely to budge much on that figure in the middle of the season.
Extra firepower at some point will be required, of course, the extent of which largely depends on what happens with Mo Salah and Sadio Mane’s contracts at Anfield.
The pair are set to part ways with us in the summer of 2023, though it’s widely understood that the club is hoping to negotiate fresh terms for both forwards this year.
Should we fail to reach an agreement for one of the players in question, one can safely bet that a replacement – as an absolute minimum – will be critical.