Liverpool “really, really keen” to sign £103m Diaz clone

One notable Liverpool X account might well be eating their words a year on, having hailed the signings of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz to replace Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz as the ‘biggest upgrade in football history’.

Mohamed Salah had even responded at the time, questioning why supporters couldn’t ‘celebrate the great signings without disrespecting the Premier League champions’.

Well, the Egyptian was right to laud the efforts of both Nunez and Diaz, the latter man having been particularly missed last term as Arne Slot oversaw a desperately disappointing title defence.

The decision to sell the Colombian on a £65.5m deal certainly still stings, not least due to his explosive form since at Bayern Munich, with the Reds no doubt crying out for a marquee solution on that left flank.

Liverpool still “really, really keen” to seal £103m signing

Hugo Ekitike is still a long-term absentee; Salah is out the door, and Isak is still fighting his way back to full fitness, with attacking reinforcements surely a must at Anfield.

There has also been notable interest from Tottenham Hotspur in Cody Gakpo, with a potential exit for the Dutchman only set to enhance the need for new additions.

Of course, the leading option had seemingly been RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande, although the 19-year-old appears to have his heart set on joining Paris Saint-Germain, be it this summer or later down the line.

That blow could have the benefit of opening the door for Liverpool to land Bradley Barcola from the Ligue 1 side, with Fabrizio Romano – speaking on the HereWeGo Podcast – outlining that the sale of the 23-year-old can’t be ruled out.

Indeed, according to Romano, Andoni Iraola and co remain firmly in the mix for the Frenchman’s signature, albeit with Arsenal also in the frame amid their own search for a new left-winger.

“I’m not going to say Barcola is not for sale at the end of June because I think there is still the possibility to see some movement, with Liverpool really interested, with Barcola also on Arsenal’s list. But Liverpool are really, really keen on the player.”

Romano outlined that it would take “big money” for the Champions League winners to contemplate a sale, potentially to the tune of around £103m.

Why Barcola could be like prime Diaz for Liverpool

The succession planning at Liverpool couldn’t have been better, it must be said, with Jurgen Klopp welcoming in Diaz in January 2022, just a matter of months before Sadio Mane’s departure to the Colombian’s current side, Bayern.

To say he was initially a roaring success would be overselling it, however, with Diaz missing much of his first full season due to a knee injury, while also scoring and assisting just 14 league goals in 2023/24

It was after Slot’s arrival that everything truly came together, however, the former Porto speedster proving so vital in the most recent title success, having contributed 18 goals and assists in the top flight.

The speed and relentlessness of his game truly was breathtaking in 2024/25, such a force be it off the left or in something of a makeshift number nine role.

It’s easy to see why Barcola could then pick up that mantle next term, the ex-Lyon starlet already arguably “one of the best left-wingers in Europe” himself, in the view of Como scout Ben Mattinson.

Like Diaz, the France international has that frightening blend of pace and skill, able to terrorise opposition defenders with his direct, dribbling prowess down the left flank.

Interestingly, Scout Lab notes that the most similar player to Barcola in Europe’s top five leagues last term was actually Diaz, while the South American was deemed to be the fifth most similar player in 2024/25.

That season, in which Diaz scored 13 and assisted five Premier League goals, saw Barcola dazzle in Paris, reaching double figures for both goals and assists in Ligue 1.

He also created 18 ‘big chances’ and averaged one successful dribble per game that year, while Diaz, meanwhile, created only eight ‘big chances’, yet averaged 1.5 successful dribbles per outing.

Be it in a statistical or stylistic sense, what is most alike about the pair is their ability to create something out of nothing, two genuine game-changers who can win a match on their own.

There simply wasn’t enough of that from an ageing Salah and co across 2025/26, with Iraola’s side crying out for a fresh injection of quality and dynamism.

Barcola, like Diaz before him, could be the man to provide just that.