Liverpool could replace Luis Diaz with hidden gem

Liverpool look like they will be refitting their attack over the upcoming transfer window. We could see both strikers leave - with question marks over Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez - and several star names in the frame to come in.

Will it be Hugo Ekitike? Matheus Cunha? It remains to be seen what Richard Hughes has got in store. There are also stark uncertainties over the wings.

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Federico Chiesa could be ready to move on just one season after joining from Juventus. And Luis Diaz could be sacrificed too should a decent bid be received.

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With a contract expiring in 2027 - and no sign of it being renewed - Liverpool will need to cash in soon or else be helpless as his value plummets.

FSG are known to watch their spending; Liverpool are not prone to splashing the cash. And Richard Hughes has already said that the priority should be “opportunistic” deals.

Some prices ahead of the window opening are off-kilter. £70 million for Antoine Semenyo? That doesn’t look like great value all truth told.

What if there was a proven, low-cost Diaz alternative out there that Liverpool could pick up relatively risk-free?

There haven’t been any Liverpool links specifically to this player but it’s only a matter of time before he moves on to bigger and better things.

Liverpool should look at Javi Puado

Javi Puado, 26, is the Espanyol captain and has been recently linked with both Tottenham and Atletico Madrid. There have even been whispers that he was offered a Saudi mega-deal but his representatives turned that one down.

Puado, a one-time Spain international, is out of contract in the summer and so would be available on a very tempting Bosman.

Espanyol are reported to be desperate to renew their homegrown talent’s deal and are ready to make him the club’s best-paid player into the bargain.

The most recent salary information suggests that Puado is making around €8,000 per week or, put another way, the left-winger makes about as much in a year as Virgil van Dijk makes in a week.

How’s that for value?

No doubt he would be expecting a pay rise and recent reports suggest Espanyol would go as high as €3m to €4m per annum to renew his deal.

They want him to remain at the club in order to become their all-time top goalscorer but there are suggestions the player is ready to move on.

But why should Liverpool be interested?

Puado in the form of his LIFE

It’s true that Puado’s statistics on FBREF don't exactly set the heart racing.

But he is coming into the form of his life - confident and devastatingly effective - and it’s inevitable that links with bigger deals will begin.

Puado and Espanyol have had a terrific month; unbeaten in their last four, they have eased all their relegation concerns.

Puado has been key to it all, adding three goals and two assists in his last four league games and being nominated for LaLiga’s player of the month award too. For a player representing a newly-promoted side, that’s not bad going.

Moreover his versatility is sure to appeal. Not only can he play left-wing, he has also appeared up front and wide on the right too. The range of goals he’s scored this season has been diverse; one-touch finishes, headers, strikes from outside the box.

And he is a reliable penalty taker to boot; never missing one in eight attempts.

In the Spanish top flight, he’s hit 11 goals and made three assists this season. That’s as many goals as Vinicius Junior and more than Antoine Griezmann, Jude Bellingham, Lamine Yamal, Rodrygo and Nico Williams to name a few.

It might take a little bit of imagination for Liverpool to replenish their attack in a way that suits Arne Slot as well as the budget. Let's say they get £60m for Diaz and replace him with Puado for free. Doesn't that sound appealing?

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In Puado there is an opportunity to add an emerging talent (albeit a late bloomer) for nothing and on wages that won’t break the bank. Richard Hughes if you haven’t had a look already, please do so before it’s too late.