Rodrygo has already given Liverpool transfer response amid Luis Diaz temptation

Liverpool have so far kept steadfast in their stance towards Luis Diaz even though rivals have presented temptations to sell so far this summer transfer, and there are still two long months left to resist. Any sudden u-turn from the Reds and the likelihood is Arne Slot would need a replacement sure in themselves.

Diaz managed 18 combined goals and assists as he went on to lift the Premier League trophy, the 15th-highest total amongst players in the division and a total bettered by only five natural wingers. Liverpool and their strong analytical processes have kept track of this as well as the state of the wingers market further across Europe, helping them to reject approaches of interest from Barcelona and also as of this morning, Bayern Munich.

The Colombian is 28 years of age, with two years remaining on his contract, and even though they remain unwilling to sell, Anfield chiefs are also relaxed about that contract situation for now as time ticks away.

But Diaz has previously admitted to being in contact with suitors, and European giants like Barca and Bayern do not simply roll over and go back to sleep. The summer market is open for two months, during which time tempting offers could arrive on the Reds' doorstep.

A decision would have to be made and that may very well be different to the current outlook.

So, how would the club proceed in life after Diaz? One option may be to build for years down the line with Lyon's Malick Fofana, 20, one player linked in the position, but the reality of the situation is by allowing their No.7 to leave, Liverpool would be losing their third-best for goals and assists last term and would need someone closer to the finished article.

Here ties in uncertainty over Real Madrid winger Rodrygo's future at the Santiago Bernabeu amid the Spanish club's participation in the FIFA Club World Cup.

At the end of the 2024/25 campaign he missed Real's final five matches of the season though the club issued no medical report as they would typically do for absent players. This became a key topic in previous manager Carlo Ancelotti's last weeks in the job and was left for Xabi Alonso to pick up, with the new manager promising he would get a better grasp of the situation in the United States.

Four matches down and into the quarter-finals, Alonso has only utilised the Brazil international twice - both times in the group stage. This is in spite of star attacker Kylian Mbappe being kept from playing until the latest round with a bout of gastroenteritis, as academy talents have been drafted in for testing over Rodrygo.

The 24-year-old is a versatile right-footer capable of playing on both flanks and a consistent performer - when not kept out of the team by Mbappe, Jude Bellingham or Vinicius Junior - with a return of 68 goals and 51 assists in 269 appearances. Incredibly fascinating is the trophy-winning know-how he would bring to the Reds' squad, having collected three La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues, the Copa del Rey, the FIFA Club World Cup and two European Super Cups.

If Liverpool were to go all-in for Rodrygo, it would be interesting to see if he would change his mind from the previous time it was attempted to bring him to Merseyside all the way back in 2016, when still only a starlet in Brazil.

"We didn’t close the deal because I didn’t want to," he told the Guardian. "I wanted to stay at Santos even though the offer was very good.

"The pathway they promised me would also have been very good for my career. I was going to finish my studies in England to prepare for European football.

"It had always been my dream to play in Europe. Everything was very good, but my desire spoke louder. I wanted to stay at Santos and make a bit of history at the club.

"And that’s what happened. I was able to fulfil my dream of playing for Santos. But it’s true, I almost went to Liverpool."

One year on from this rejection Rodrygo went on to complete his €45m (£38.9m) switch to Spain instead, now here again he could lie at another crossroads in his career.

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