Via echo
When Luis Suarez left Liverpool for Barcelona in a £65m deal in the summer of 2014, he departed after making a request to Reds legend Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard
“Before Luis Suarez left Liverpool’s training ground for the last time he spoke to me about Philippe Coutinho,”
“Make sure you look after him,’ Luis said of Philippe.
“That told me how much Suarez rated Coutinho as a player.
“I knew they were close, because all the South Americans and Spaniards loved Luis.
“But it struck a chord with me when Luis singled out Philippe as our most special young talent. It echoed my own view…
“But I also know that the Spanish giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid, will come looking for Philippe in a few more seasons, just like they did with Luis.
“And that’s when it will get tricky for Liverpool because the lure to go to one of those two clubs is so strong for any South American or Spanish player.”
Three and a half years after Suarez had completed his dream move to Camp Nou, Coutinho joined him
As Gerrard warned, the lure of Barcelona is so strong for any South American player.
Liverpool currently have fourth South Americans on their books in Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister and Alisson Becker
In recent months, the outfield trio have all been linked with either Barcelona or Real Madrid.
Diaz arguably faces the most uncertain future this summer, with his name accompanied by the most transfer speculation amid interest from Barcelona.
While he has recently insisted he is happy at Liverpool, such links are only getting louder
it would perhaps be no surprise if Diaz did move to Barcelona this summer.
After all, beyond the speculation, his father has already admitted that joining the Catalans would be the forward’s dream move.
Diaz Snr
“[The] truth is that I know very little about Barcelona at the moment,”
It is true that Luis is a loyal Barcelona fan and it would be his dream to go there…
“There would be no problem if Luis came to Barcelona because it is a top team and one of the best in the world.”
Diaz has recently made his own feelings about Barcelona clear.
when asked for his favourite all-time and current players, his selection of three Barcelona legends will not have gone unnoticed.
“Well, my favourite player has always been, since I was a kid, Ronaldinho,”
“You could say he’s, favourite legend.
“Current favourite? Messi. I’ve always liked Messi. I’ve always liked Neymar as well, but I’ll pick Messi.”
Admittedly, such allegiances don’t mean that Diaz will definitely trade Liverpool for Barcelona this summer
But it does fuel transfer speculation, as the Reds also found out recently when linked with Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon.
At the very least, the Reds will have to remain wary of the Catalans if they do wish to retain the forward
As Gerrard previously warned and Liverpool have found out more than once before, their lure could well prove to be too much if they do come calling for Diaz.
Commentaires