Liverpool's stance on Luis Diaz's rumoured £43m transfer to Saudi Pro League

Luis Diaz has become the latest Liverpool player to be linked with a move to Saudi Arabia after recent speculation over Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara

Posted Thursday, July 20, 2023 by Dailystar.co.uk

Liverpool's winger Luis Diaz has become the subject of interest from Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal, who are reportedly willing to pay £43m for the Colombian star.

The pressure on Liverpool to part ways with some of their key players comes as the Saudi Pro League aims to make the upcoming season its biggest ever. Fabinho is on the verge of joining champions Al-Ittihad for £40m, while his Anfield midfield colleague Jordan Henderson has reportedly agreed to personal terms with Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq.

There have also been rumours linking midfielder Thiago Alcantara with a move to the league. However, multiple sources including The Athletic and The Times (via the Liverpool Echo) are reporting that Liverpool have no intention of selling Diaz this summer.

The Saudi Pro League has introduced the Player Acquisition Centre of Excellence Programme (PACE) for the transfer window. This program aims to facilitate the acquisition of foreign players by providing a step-by-step process that includes budget allocation, squad mapping, analysis, negotiations, transactions, and player care.

Saad Allazeez, the league's interim CEO, described PACE as a collaborative effort between the league and the clubs to ensure the best talent arrives in the region efficiently and financially. "The club development framework is also, in my opinion, a function of transformation," Allazeez said.

"What we are trying to do in this transformation is to enable the clubs to adapt the best practices when it comes to operating the club, financially managing the club, acquiring players, hiring coaches, sports science, and all that stuff. We want the clubs to be able to do that themselves without the aid or help of the league."

Luis Diaz is back fit after an injury-plagued season

The Saudi Pro League has already attracted several Premier League and European stars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Kalidou Koulibaly, N'Golo Kante, and Ruben Neves. Karim Benzema, the reigning Ballon d'Or holder, has also made a move to Al-Ittihad from Real Madrid.

Diaz is set to wear the No7 shirt for Liverpool next season. After Liverpool's 4-3 win against Tottenham in April, with Diaz scoring early on, Jurgen Klopp said: "He's a natural player. I love him, absolutely love him.

Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr in December 2022

Jurgen Klopp doesn't want to lose Luis Diaz

"It's unbelievable. He's so football smart, moving in the right areas, naturally defending from his position, goal threat, speed, cheeky. Very, very special player, I have to say. We missed him a lot.”