Report: Liverpool eyeing Luis Diaz regen in £51m ‘crown jewel’; contact made with his camp | OneFootball

Liverpool have been named among a host of top European clubs showing an interest in a highly coveted winger who could potentially be their next Luis Diaz.

The Colombian was signed from FC Porto in January 2022 for an initial £37.5m (BBC Sport), instantly becoming an idol of the Kop with his dynamism in attack and going on to score 41 goals in 148 appearances at Anfield before leaving for Bayern Munich last year.

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Fast forward to July 2026, and the Reds are on the lookout for wide attacking reinforcements as they enter life without Mo Salah, with Bradley Barcola and Maghnes Akliouche seemingly among their primary targets, and they also appear to have their eyes on a teenage talent currently playing in Portugal.

Liverpool monitoring Oskar Pietuszewski

According to a report for Fussballdaten, Liverpool are joined by both Manchester clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in monitoring Porto winger Oskar Pietuszewski.

It’s Borussia Dortmund who appear to be leading the chase for now, having contacted the 18-year-old’s representatives and presented a ‘clear development plan’ outlining his planned progression to the first team. The Bundesliga side are understood to be planning an opening offer of €35m (£29.8m).

However, the Portuguese champions are determined to keep hold of the teenager and aren’t prepared to accept any offers short of his €60m (£51.2m) release clause.

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Could Pietuszewski be Liverpool’s next Diaz?

Liverpool potentially recruiting Pietuszewski would have echoes of the Diaz swoop in 2022, with the latter being signed from Porto, and the two wingers also boast stylistic comparisons.

GOAL writer James Westwood noted how both players have similar qualities in terms of their agile footwork, with reference also made to the 18-year-old’s ‘lightning acceleration and shooting power’ and his ‘warrior’s mentality’.

A tactical analysis for Driblab described him as ‘the crown jewel of Polish youth football’ and highlighted his penchant for drawing free kicks with his electrifying dribbling ability – not unlike Rio Ngumoha.

However, despite impression for Porto since his January move from Jagiellonia Bialystok, Pietuszewski wouldn’t be a standout candidate for what Liverpool need right now.

He plays primarily on the left flank, where the Reds are already well stocked (in contrast to a lack of depth on the right), while his goal return at senior level leaves plenty of room for improvement (just seven in 72 games).

Also, he’d be a signing for the long-term rather than the here-and-now, and it’s the latter that LFC really need at this moment.

On that basis, it’d be difficult to justify spending more than £50m on him, although the scale of transfer interest in him indicates just how high a ceiling he could have in years to come.