Barcelona's ongoing efforts to prise Luis Diaz away from Liverpool have hit a significant snag.
Diaz is ranked at no.6 in FourFourTwo's list of the best left wingers in the world right now and has just enjoyed his best-ever season for the Reds, prompting Barca to set their sights on taking the Colombian to the soon-to-reopen Camp Nou.
But they may have to turn their attentions to an alternative target if they cannot convince Liverpool to let Diaz go, with reports suggesting Barcelona already have a half-price option in mind.
Reports earlier this week suggested that Liverpool were after £80m for Diaz's services, and that while Barcelona were unwilling to match that fee, they felt confident they could pressure the Reds into sanctioning the move.
However, the Independent now write that Liverpool have rejected an approach from Barcelona and told them that Diaz is not for sale.
As such, Liverpool are said to be unwilling even to enter into negotiations with Barcelona - contradicting a feeling on the Catalan club's end that the Reds can be enticed for the right price.
Barca's claimed rationale there is that Liverpool may need to raise funds as they close in on a massive move for Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz for a frankly eye-watering fee, and that Diaz wants the move and could apply pressure on Liverpool to allow him to leave.
Although Liverpool have also already completed deals for Giorgi Mamardashvili and Jeremie Frimpong, that supposition does somewhat ignore two rather simple facts: that Liverpool spent very little last summer, and that they have other saleable assets who they would prefer to let go.
At this embryonic stage of the window, it seems to FourFourTwo that Liverpool would be sensible to keep their powder dry for now and see if they can first offload the likes of Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott, who played bit-part roles for Arne Slot's side in their title-winning season but could be valuable commodities to other sides.
Diaz only has two years left on his current deal, which is typically seen as the prime time to sell players to maximise their transfer value.
But Liverpool have a track record for resisting that wisdom, most notably turning down a massive bid from the Saudi Pro League for Mohamed Salah in 2023 as they felt he was too valuable to let go.
Fair to say that worked out pretty well for them...and at 28 years old, Diaz should still have a good few years left in the tank.
Liverpool's stance could well bump Marcus Rashford up Barcelona's list of priorities, which would come as welcome news to Manchester United.
The England international spend the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, who have a non-exclusive option to by Rashford.
But the forward is reported to want Champions League football, and the chance to move to Barcelona would surely be appealing if it finally came to fruition after 12 months of rumours.
Information is conflicting over the level of Barca's interest, with sporting director Deco confirming last month that they liked Rashford, but reports in Spain this week claiming head coach Hansi Flick is less keen and would much prefer Diaz as Rashford is too 'inconsistent'.
If a move for Diaz is off the table, though, the German could well be persuaded to accept the punt on Rashford.
Atalanta's Ademola Lookman has been touted as a potential Barcelona alternative, though he is also said to be wanted by Liverpool. These transfer dominoes are getting mighty confusing, aren't they?
Chelsea not ruling out swoop for West Ham star KudusAccording to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are set to compete with their Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur to secure a transfer for West Ham star Mohammed Kudus. The Blues have already signed Liam Delap from Ipswich Town and are now closing in on signing Joao Pedro from Brighton and Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund. Earlier this month, the Ha...
Liverpool are reportedly ready offer young winger Ben Doak to Crystal Palace as they step up their pursuit of centre-back Marc Guehi.The Premier League champions are looking to sign a new central defender following the imminent sale of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen.According to The Sun, Crystal Palace are interested in signing Doak, 19, following an impressive loan at Middlesbrough.As it happ...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Gyokeres & Sesko Do I join them? Chelsenal Dr. Tomiyasu & Dr. Diaby One of the best pictures at the Club World Cup 2025.. Joao Pedro is officially a Chelsea player. One club's trash is another club's treasurePlease stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss, thefootballarenaa, BleacherReportFootball)...
As reported by The Independant, Lyon have set a price of at least £51.5m (€60m) for 20-year-old Malick Fofana who is being targeted by several Premier League sides who feel that the youngster can bolster their attack. Journalist Fabrizio Romano reported that Nottingham Forest had agree a deal with Lyon earlier this week but are yet to convince the player of a move due to interest from o...
The value of the upcoming third Manchester United bid for Bryan Mbeumo has been revealed, and the club are optimistic the improved terms they'll put forward will satisfy Brentford, according to reports.Man Utd are desperate to sign Mbeumo in time for the start of pre-season training on July 7. That is just a few days away and the Red Devils will have no issues finalising personal terms with the le...
Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing wantaway RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba - but will likely have to tussle for him.The Reds are ramping up their search for a centre-back after selling Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen for £35million.Lukeba, 22, has established a strong reputation over the past few seasons at Lyon and Leipzig and earned himself a senior France cap. But the 6...
Atletico prepare a major bid for Spurs' RomeroAtletico Madrid are planning a formal offer for Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Cristian Romero, according to AS. The Spanish club is expected to table a proposal worth €55 million upfront, with an additional €15 million tied to performance-based clauses.Diego Simeone is reportedly eager to bring the Argentina international to the Wanda Metro...
Barcelona make Marc Casado transfer decision amid Chelsea interestBarcelona have reportedly set their asking price for midfielder Marc Casado as Premier League side Chelsea and La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid circle.The 21-year-old could be set to leave Barcelona this summer as they seek to ease their ongoing issues with FFP and offer Nico Williams guarantees he could be registered.According to Spa...
FBL-GER-BUNDESLIGA-LEVERKUSEN-TEN HAGBayer Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes wants to use funds from Florian Wirtz’s mega sale to create a title-winning team.WHAT HAPPENED?Leverkusen want to use the £116 million ($158m) generated from Wirtz’s transfer to Liverpool to fund potential player recruitment and build a side that would fight for major accolades and challenge Bunde...
Athletic Club v Real Valladolid CF - La Liga EA SportsBayern Munich are looking to pounce on the opportunity to lure Nico Williams to Bundesliga, amid lack of registration guarantees from Barcelona.WHAT HAPPENED?According to Sky Sports of Germany, Bayern Munich are intensifying their pursuit of Nico Williams, aiming to capitalise on the winger’s hesitation over a move to Barcelona. The Bavar...
- 1 Liverpool willing to make swap proposal to Palace for Guehi
- 2 Raphinha happy to see Barcelona miss out on FIFA Club World Cup
- 3 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 4 Mystery blonde who had night out with Kieran Trippier
- 5 Chelsea transfer at 'final stages'
- 6 Club World Cup 2025: Benfica v Chelsea predictions, best bets and odds
- 7 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 8 Sporting CP president Varandas: Gyokeres knows price he can leave for
- 9 Arsenal interested in signing Cristhian Mosquera
- 10 Frustrated Arsenal turn to Eintracht Frankfurt striker Ekitike