The UNEXPECTED impact of Luis Diaz's Liverpool exit

Luis Diaz appears to be edging closer to the Liverpool exit door. Transfer reports surrounding the winger have increased in recent days.

We’ve seen stories claiming that Bayern Munich had opened talks with Diaz and others suggesting that he was ready to tell Liverpool he wanted out.

READ MORE: Liverpool look to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for Luis Diaz deal

Then came the fresh rumours out of Barcelona which stated that the Catalans were again targeting Diaz owing to difficulties in making a deal for Nico Williams.

READ MORE: Liverpool line up long-awaited £60m Premier League signing

Where the 28-year-old will be playing his football by the time the transfer window closes is anyone’s guess.

Will Liverpool cash in on Diaz?

Sporting director Richard Hughes would probably accept €80m for the Colombia international. That would represent sensational value on the wide man - who joined in 2022 for £37.5m and whose contract expires in only two years.

Diaz had a wonderful 2024/25 season - scoring 13 goals and finishing a Premier League champion. But the Reds must ask themselves whether that kind of form is sustainable and if Diaz is worth a new, improved contract.

It doesn’t appear so right now and so a sale seems the most likely option. Liverpool could opt to fund a striker deal with the proceeds of any Diaz sale - with Darwin Nunez heavily linked with an exit of his own.

Liverpool probably won't sign winger

And if the former Porto winger departs, it’s not certain that the Anfield club would go for a like-for-like replacement.

Arne Slot has augmented his wide threats in the summer window thus far - with Milos Kerkez a marauding left-back and Jeremie Frimpong set to take over on the right flank.

Florian Wirtz, too, can be expected to move slightly wider in the line-up if Slot intends to keep Dominik Szoboszlai in the team.

And with the club having spent around £200m so far this summer - with other priorities still needing to be addressed - a winger chase might well be put on hold.

Could Chiesa stay?

The unexpected upshot of all of that is that Federico Chiesa could end up staying at Liverpool for another season at least.

The 27-year-old totalled barely 400 Premier League minutes last season and was linked with the exit as early as January. He’s got a contract until 2028 having sealed a transfer from Juventus last September and cost the club only £12.5m in a bargain deal.

Liverpool fans have taken the Italy winger to their hearts but it’s only fair to say that they are still waiting to see the best of him.

Ordinary displays - such as in February’s FA Cup fourth round defeat to Plymouth - damaged his reputation and it looked certain the club would seek to offload him this summer.

But no such move has come to materialise.

Napoli chance disappearing

Serie A sides are either reluctant or unable to pay his £120k per week salary and No1 suitors Napoli are moving elsewhere for wing targets. PSV playmaker Noa Lang is imminent while a move for Dan Ndoye of Bologna is still live for the Italian champions.

That means Chiesa is running out of destinations and therefore Hughes and Slot may opt to keep him around.

He is not going to be expected to start with Mo Salah and Frimpong ahead of him on the right. But he could be a useful element in bulking out the squad for the campaign ahead - capable of filling in on either wing as well as a No10.

A second chance for Chiesa

Furthermore, the reported €15m or so that Liverpool would seek in a transfer fee is not going to have a seismic impact in funding new players.

And the former Fiorentina man may well be worthy of a second chance. Chiesa was unable to join the squad straight away after joining, effectively undergoing a mini-preseason of his own.

Then he struggled with various knocks and niggles, failing to make an impact in his rare outings. But with the club back to work as of this week, Chiesa will have the chance to hit the ground running for the first time.

READ MORE: Defender moves closer to Leeds United deal after Liverpool exit confirmed

The Premier League’s history is littered with players who did not shine in their first seasons but ended up making good careers for themselves. Who knows, given Diaz’s imminent exit and Liverpool’s transfer priorities lying elsewhere, Chiesa could be next.