Luis Diaz has just dropped biggest hint yet to Liverpool over where his future lies

When Luis Suarez left Liverpool for Barcelona in a £65m deal in the summer of 2014, he departed after making a request to Reds legend Steven Gerrard.

“Before Luis Suarez left Liverpool’s training ground for the last time he spoke to me about Philippe Coutinho,” Gerrard revealed in his 2015 autobiography. “‘Make sure you look after him,’ Luis said of Philippe.

“That told me how much Suarez rated Coutinho as a player. I knew they were close, because all the South Americans and Spaniards loved Luis. But it struck a chord with me when Luis singled out Philippe as our most special young talent. It echoed my own view…

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“But I also know that the Spanish giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid, will come looking for Philippe in a few more seasons, just like they did with Luis. And that’s when it will get tricky for Liverpool because the lure to go to one of those two clubs is so strong for any South American or Spanish player.”

Gerrard would be proven right, of course. Three and a half years after Suarez had completed his dream move to Camp Nou, Coutinho joined him at the Catalan giants after making it clear he wanted to sign for Barcelona. While an exit was blocked in the summer of 2017, despite the Brazilian’s controversial antics in an attempt to force the deal, he would depart for a club-record £142m the following January.

As Gerrard warned, the lure of Barcelona is so strong for any South American player. And while the Catalans’ financial struggles since signing Coutinho, a smart premium transfer clause from Michael Edwards, and Liverpool’s own rise under Jurgen Klopp have prevented them from coming calling again, the Reds could well find their resolve tested once more this summer.

Liverpool currently have fourth South Americans on their books in Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister and Alisson Becker, with the quartet all set to take part in this summer’s Copa America. In recent months, the outfield trio have all been linked with either Barcelona or Real Madrid.

Diaz arguably faces the most uncertain future this summer, with his name accompanied by the most transfer speculation amid interest from Barcelona. Reports this week claim the Catalans are due to hold talks with his representatives.

While he has recently insisted he is happy at Liverpool, such links are only getting louder. And having been frequent throughout the 2023/24 season, it would perhaps be no surprise if Diaz did move to Barcelona this summer.

After all, beyond the speculation, his father has already admitted that joining the Catalans would be the forward’s dream move.

“[The] truth is that I know very little about Barcelona at the moment,” Diaz Snr. told Win Sports back in November. “It is true that Luis is a loyal Barcelona fan and it would be his dream to go there…

“There would be no problem if Luis came to Barcelona because it is a top team and one of the best in the world.”

While Diaz’s future is unlikely to be resolved while representing Colombia at Copa America, he has recently made his own feelings about Barcelona clear.

Taking part in the Premier League’s latest episode of ‘Ask Me Anything’, alongside Liverpool team-mates Nunez and Mac Allister, when asked for his favourite all-time and current players, his selection of three Barcelona legends will not have gone unnoticed.

“Well, my favourite player has always been, since I was a kid, Ronaldinho,” he revealed. “You could say he’s, favourite legend.

“Current favourite? Messi. I’ve always liked Messi. I’ve always liked Neymar as well, but I’ll pick Messi.”

For the record, Nunez would also pick Ronaldinho and Neymar, with the impact of seeing previous South American players star at Camp Nou abundant. The same was true of Suarez and Coutinho, of course, before they completed their own dream transfers.

Admittedly, such allegiances don’t mean that Diaz will definitely trade Liverpool for Barcelona this summer. But it does fuel transfer speculation, as the Reds also found out recently when linked with Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon.

At the very least, the Reds will have to remain wary of the Catalans if they do wish to retain the forward. As Gerrard previously warned and Liverpool have found out more than once before, their lure could well prove to be too much if they do come calling for Diaz.