Barcelona stance on Luis Díaz points to clarification of Darwin Núñez’s reality amid Liverpool exit rumors

A busy summer awaits 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 be just Klopp who will be leaving though, with assistant Pep Lijnders and other members of the backroom staff also set to exit.

Plans for the new era are already in place. Arne Slot is expected to be confirmed as the new Reds 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 leg at Anfield.

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

However, he is not the only player who has been touted for a move to Camp Nou. Spanish outlet Sport claimed last month that Barcelona were trying to challenge PSG for the signature of Luis Díaz.

Díaz’s father played down the speculation, saying he had not “lost hope” that his son would secure a move to Spain at some point. It seems a move to Barca could be off the table.

According to the latest report from Sport, the Catalan club have decided it is “100 percent unaffordable” to complete a deal for Díaz. Barca have therefore decided to focus their attention on an alternative, with Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams the latest to be promoted.

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

Not only that, but it could also indicate that the chances of Núñez moving to Barcelona are slim, if any. After all, Liverpool will almost certainly demand more for the Uruguay international after signing him in a deal that could be worth as much as $106m (£85m/€98m) in 2022.

It is Sport again who have suggested that 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 will surely rule out a move for his fellow striker.

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

Regardless of whether he is happy at Anfield at the moment, it would be a huge shock if he moved in the summer. Slot and Hughes will have to decide the best move to make with Núñez when they arrive.