Liverpool rebuff Barcelona approach for €70 million-rated mainstay – Ornstein | OneFootball

At this point, it has been well-established that FC Barcelona see Luis Diaz as their priority target to strengthen the attacking department before the new season.

The 28-year-old winger has the approval of manager Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco and the Blaugrana are intent on bringing him into the club.

Approach knocked back

To that end, David Ornstein of The Athletic reports that Barcelona made an approach to Liverpool on Wednesday to discuss the transfer of Diaz, only for the Premier League champions to reject it.

The Merseyside giants made it clear to the La Liga champions that the Colombian international is not for sale this summer.

Diaz, who arrived at Anfield in January 2022, has a contract with Liverpool until 2027 and so far there has been no indication of a renewal, which has sparked rumours of a departure.

Not for sale. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

However, Liverpool see the winger as a key part of the setup after he played a key role in their 20th league title triumph this season and manager Arne Slot is planning for the next campaign with him in his scheme.

As such, when Barcelona approached Liverpool on Wednesday night, the Reds made it unequivocally clear that they are not looking to part ways with the winger, who is also attracting interest from Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

The report further states that Diaz, for his part, has so far given no indication that he might be considering a departure from Anfield.

Unless that changes, Liverpool would be happy to keep hold of him for the remainder of his contract.

This stance comes as a major blow to Barcelona’s hopes of signing Diaz and it remains to be seen if they find a way to convince the Reds to change their mind or if they go after a different target.

*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.