Barcelona stance on Luis Díaz points to clear Darwin Núñez reality amid Liverpool exit rumors

A busy summer lies in wait for Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp’s departure signals the biggest overhaul at Anfield in years.

The German will bid farewell to the club next weekend, with his final game coming against Wolves. It won’t just be Klopp who leaves though, with assistant Pep Lijnders and other members of the backroom staff set to exit as well.

Plans are already being put in place for the new era. Arne Slot is expected to be confirmed as the Reds’ new boss, while Richard Hughes will officially start as the club’s new sporting director next month. Michael Edwards and Julian Ward have also returned to FSG in preparation for the next stage at Anfield.

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But with the change of guard comes inevitable uncertainty over some of the players currently at the club. There has already been plenty of speculation around Mohamed Salah, while Darwin Núñez has been linked to Barcelona after facing criticism from supporters for his recent form.

He’s not the only player to have been touted for a move to the Camp Nou though. Spanish outlet Sport claimed last month that Barcelona was looking to challenge PSG for Luis Díaz’s signature.

The speculation has been given weight by Díaz’s father claiming he hadn’t ‘lost hope’ that his son would secure a move to Spain at some point. It seems though a move to Barca may be off the table.

According to the latest report from Sport, the Catalan club has decided that it is “100 per cent unaffordable” to complete a deal for Díaz. Barca has therefore decided to focus its attention on an alternative, with Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams the latest to be touted.

That will come as good news for Liverpool’s hopes of keeping hold of Díaz this summer. The player himself has indicated he is happy at Anfield after picking up the club’s Player of the Month award for April.

Not only that, but it could also indicate that the chances of Núñez making the move to Barcelona are slim, if at all existent. After all, Liverpool would almost certainly demand more for the Uruguay international, having signed him in a deal that could rise to $106m (£85m/€98m) back in 2022.

It’s Sport again that has suggested there is interest from Barcelona in Núñez. Despite the 24-year-old showing signs of being unhappy recently, it would appear that Barca’s stance on Díaz would surely rule out a move for his fellow forward.

Liverpool.com says: The speculation around Núñez will no doubt continue, but even if reports that his agent wants him to leave Liverpool are true, it seems highly unlikely Barcelona will be able to afford what the Reds would demand.

Regardless of whether he is happy at Anfield at the moment, it would be a big shock if he were to move away during the summer. Slot and Hughes will have to decide on what the best step to take with Núñez is when they arrive.