The new Diaz: FSG enter race to sign “world-class” £79m star for Liverpool

You could feel the elation rippling from the pitch. It was palpable. It was a reminder of what this squad are capable of doing to the best teams in the world. Liverpool had beaten Real Madrid in the Champions League for the second year running.

 

Following the professional win over Aston Villa to stop the rot of a four-match skid in the Premier League, head coach Arne Slot must have felt his side had turned a corner, but last weekend’s sobering loss at Manchester City showed the Reds have merely gone in circles.

 



 

Liverpool were outfought across every inch of the Etihad Stadium, and Slot will be chagrined after being outplayed by Pep Guardiola on the tactical chessboard. Granted, he’s not the first coach to lose such a battle against the Spaniard.

 

But the Reds are struggling to do the basics, and are such a far cry from the level of last season, when they dispatched so many opponents and won the league title with relative ease.

 

Tactical imbalances have been clear all season, and it’s obvious that Liverpool are missing Luis Diaz, who is doing so well with Bayern Munich this season.

 

If the problems continue for Slot, FSG may be forced to sign a new version of the Colombian.

 

Liverpool looking to replace Diaz

 

Florian Wirtz’s struggles since leaving Bayer Leverkusen and joining Liverpool for £116m this summer have been well documented.

 

The German playmaker, 22, is one of the most talented footballers out there, but he’s yet to find the physicality and fluency to succeed in the Premier League, and he might want to take a leaf from Diaz’s book in that regard.

 



 

Aside from Diaz’s potency in the final third, he is relentless in his work rate and rapid besides, adding width and dynamism down the flank. Liverpool need some of that, and appear to have found a candidate.

 

Indeed, according to Spanish sources, sporting director Richard Hughes has registered Liverpool’s interest in Real Madrid star Rodrygo, who has fallen well down the pecking order under Xabi Alonso.

 

Arsenal and Chelsea are also keen on the Brazil international, while Manchester City’s intrigue was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano this summer.

 



 

Florentino Perez wants €90m (£79m) for the versatile forward, but given his reduced role at Real Madrid over the past year or so, FSG would likely push to whittle down that hefty price tag.

 

What Rodrygo would offer Liverpool

 

Rodrygo finished the 2024/25 campaign at a low ebb. A few terms ago, the 24-year-old was regarded as one of the best wingers in the world, but a limited role at Real has precluded that tag from staying put.

 



 

This season, Alonso has handed Rodrygo only three starts across La Liga and the Champions League. He hasn’t yet scored, racking up two assists on the continent. This all points toward a divorce from the Santiago Bernabeu, for this is one of the most exciting and talented wide forwards in Europe, and he should have a role at a side that reflects that.

 

Liverpool could offer him this. Slot wanted to provide Rio Ngumoha with a pathway to the first team during the summer, and that is ostensibly why Diaz was not directly replaced.

 

This has proved a mistake, with the 17-year-old as yet untrusted to start games and feature prominently.

 

Rodrygo has the maturity and the world experience to not just challenge Wirtz and Cody Gakpo for a starting berth but stake his claim for a starring role deep into the Anfield pitch.

 

Sometimes, statistics must be viewed through a wider context. Take Rodrygo’s woes in the Spanish top flight last year, only scoring six goals and supplying six assists across 30 matches.

 

Poor, right? Well, Rodrygo was only afforded 12 starts by Carlo Ancelotti, and Sofascore data suggests he missed just one big chance, underscoring his clinical nature.

 

Real Madrid’s Rodrygo

 

Furthermore, the South American maverick posted six goals and assists apiece from left wing last year, despite only being handed a berth on that side 12 times across all competitions. At Liverpool, it is the left which beckons, and there he could refashion that world-renowned status that has been seen on the biggest stages before.

 

And even after this testing period, Rodrygo’s underlying quality does not lie, evidenced through many tactical similarities with Diaz across the past 12 months.

 

Rodrygo vs Luis Diaz (past 12 months)

 

Stats (per 90)

 

Rodrygo

 

Diaz

 

Goals

 

0.31

 

0.47

 

Assists

 

0.23

 

0.20

 

Shots taken

 

2.78

 

2.92

 

Shot-creating actions

 

4.71

 

4.21

 

Pass completion %

 

85.4

 

83.0

 

Touches (att pen)

 

6.49

 

6.27

 

Progressive passes

 

4.40

 

4.21

 

Progressive carries

 

5.91

 

3.73

 

Successful take-ons

 

2.47

 

1.98

 

Ball recoveries

 

3.75

 

4.40

 

Tackles + interceptions

 

2.09

 

1.36

 

Data via FBref

 

It’s curious to note that the tactical differences between the two are not that great. And this in spite of Rodrygo having fallen to the Los Blancos fringes well before the managerial shift this summer.

 

With Alonso at the helm, it’s patent that Rodrygo will not enjoy the regular minutes that his talent deserves. After all, Luka Modric once described him as being among the club’s “world-class superstars”.

 

Diaz has found remarkable prolificness since switching Liverpool for Bavaria in August, and while such levels were rarely sustained at Liverpool, with the Premier League notoriously difficult, there’s no denying Liverpool miss Diaz and his athletic profile.

 

Rodrygo could be the perfect tonic to turn the ship around. After all, Alonso doesn’t seem to want him, and Liverpool require just the profile.

 

Whether the Reds manage to pull off an audacious winter swoop is anyone’s guess, but Premier League rivals are also on the hunt, and Hughes needs to pull something off if this season is to be viewed as a success.