Liverpool are eyeing the Porto winger dubbed 'Colombian Cristiano Ronaldo', according to reports, in a bid to solve their AFCON conundrum.
The Reds are losing both star widemen Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane while the pair compete at the Africa Cup of Nations in January – and while Jurgen Klopp isn't afraid to delve deep into his squad to find options, rumours have been surfacing for weeks about a new signing.
South American star Luis Diaz is on the Anfield radar and with the club still competing on domestic and European fronts, Klopp may look to recruit so that the absence of Mane and Salah isn't felt too strongly.
The club have spent in Januarys gone by after all – most recently bringing in Takumi Minamino midseason in 2020.
There are considerable obstacles with the Diaz transfer, however.
The 24-year-old is a wanted man, with Manchester United, Bayern Munich and others apparently circling – and having been in hot form this season, his price will have risen sharply since the summer. Porto will not want to lose such a star midseason, either.
Still, the ongoing contract discussions with Salah are said to in fact make new signings more likely, rather than weaken Liverpool's buying power.
Salah has reportedly asked for assurance that the squad will be reinforced, should he extend his time on Merseyside. Given that the core of this team has remained for a while now, Klopp will no doubt know the importance of refreshing in certain positions – and signing an up-and-coming talent in the mould of Diaz would be the perfect answer.
But while Diaz would be a dream signing for the Reds, a move does seem unlikely right now.
Not only would the Colombian be extremely expensive, but Diaz would also be a potentially team-changing signing that Klopp would have to ask to hit the ground running. The Merseysiders will be one of the favourites for his signature in the summer – but January feels a little premature, despite the rumours.
