Luis Diaz message about Arne Slot appears to confirm Reds will miss out on £100m deal

Life under Arne Slot is appearing fruitful for Luis Diaz. The Colombian forward has played a vital role in his side being top of the Premier League, scoring five times this season in just seven club appearances.

That’s despite him being heavily linked with a move away in the summer, having been linked with the likes of PSG and Barcelona.

Diaz is contracted at Anfield until 2026 but isn’t amongst the club’s highest earners, and Liverpool were reportedly prepared to negotiation a fee of around £100million with Europe’s top clubs.

The speculation intensified when Diaz’s father publicly spoke of his son’s apparent desire to join Barca. However, since the arrival of Slot the 27-year-old has looked anything like a player discontented, currently thriving under the Dutch boss.

And he’s now opened up on the impact the ex-Feyenoord coach is having on Merseyside, with Diaz crediting the 46-year-old for his form in front of goal. “I think the training sessions are helping a lot,” he told Sky Sports.

“Also, the confidence that the coach, and the team, gives you when everyone is playing well and things are going well. I think confidence is really important. The coach always tries to correct the movements you need to make in order to be well-positioned to get to the goal better and score more goals.”

Diaz also lauded Slot’s demands in terms of work rate, and insisted his methods were as enjoyable as they are effective. “The coach asks the same from all of us,” he added. “What I have in terms of my characteristics is what he wants.

“He also tried to instil a lot of tactics in us. He works hard in that sense. He asks us to always run back and to defend, to form a good defensive block. So what he tries to do is to work and plan and think about that side of things, but also while enjoying it because it’s always important to have that enjoyment. But knowing you have a job to do.”

The glowing appraisal appears to underline that Diaz is very much happy at Anfield and currently loving his football. And it seemingly dispels the notion of Liverpool cashing in for a six-figure sum in January or next summer.

Diaz was signed by Jurgen Klopp midway through the 2021/22 season, scoring 29 times in 105 appearances. He’s also picked up an FA Cup and two League Cup winners medals and appeared in the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid FC.

Last year, he continued to play for the club despite his father, Luis Manuel Diaz, being kidnapped in his native Colombia. He was eventually released in November having been held captive for 11 days.