Luis Diaz has scored 11 goals and provided 3 assists in 23 appearances this season for Liverpool. Under the hands of Arne Slot, the Colombian striker plays well at each time, becoming an irreplaceable and versatile star in attack.
On average, Diaz has scored every 138 minutes since the start of the Premier League season. This rate is much higher than the previous 2 seasons he joined The Kop (249 minutes and 330 minutes respectively). Arne Slot seemed very satisfied when his student adapted to the new tactical style and diversified his own skills.
Usually when a player plays well like that, contract extension is the first thing that teams need to consider. However, Diaz's contract is still near the bottom of the priority list. Liverpool are currently having a headache with the cases of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
The three stars will expire in June 2025. By January 1, 2025, if they do not renew, they are free to negotiate with any club. This is Liverpool's trio, of course the contract issue will be prioritized for consideration. However, Liverpool have not ignored or are indifferent to Diaz's case.
In the summer of 2024, when Jack Grealish's form was not good, there were rumors that Man City wanted the service of Luis Diaz. However, both clubs later denied the rumors. The Kop have since denied any sign of interest from Barcelona.
Although information from Liverpool until now is still that Diaz will stay long-term, there is no guarantee that the Anfield team will not fall into a spiral like the case of the three attackers mentioned above. If we want to stabilize the force in the long term, everything must run in parallel, we should not ignore Diaz because of the contracts of the officials.
Liverpool's most difficult point in the Diaz case is to determine the real value at the moment of the 27-year-old striker. He will turn 28 in January 2025. If Diaz continues for 3-4 years with Liverpool, he will reach his peak and is predicted to gradually step towards the other side of his career. FSG's owners are always cautious with players at their peak because if they sign an extension, it means they still have to spend a lot of money on a player preparing to decline in form.
Diaz's current contract will expire in 2026. Usually, about 2 years before the maturity date, the players and the team will sit down to discuss an extension. However, Liverpool have not yet given any signal to Diaz. Arne Slot has continuously praised and said wings for his student, but everything will become meaningless if both sides no longer look in the same direction in the future.
When Liverpool were lacking a striker due to Diogo Jota's injury and Darwin Nunez was harmless, from a winger, Diaz moved into the penalty area and played very well in the role of "forced" striker. A player who not only plays well in his best position, but also knows how to do well in other roles in situations, that is the person Arne Slot needs to go the long way.
This season, Diaz has been showing incredible form and endurance, playing every single match of Liverpool since the beginning of the Premier League season. While the contract extension is still unclear, Diaz is still very professional and shows no signs of shaking.
