Hughes racing to sign £43m “game-changer” for Liverpool

Liverpool are preparing to defend their Premier League title, with FSG’s ambitions evidenced through the heavy spending that has been enforced over the past few months.

And there’s likely more to come. With Darwin Nunez being touted with a move away, Napoli had been interested but have withdrawn their name due to differences in valuation. Sporting director Richard Hughes is thus perusing the market for a potential striker to lead the line over the coming years.

Nunez’s struggles to adapt to Arne Slot’s tactics were well documented last season, with the Dutch coach even stating that he “can’t accept” the 25-year-old’s work rate after a string of concerning performances in February.

With just one Premier League start to his name since Boxing Day, Nunez was routinely replaced at number nine by Luis Diaz, whose versatility allowed him to moonlight as a focal frontman to a title-winning effect.

However, Diaz may now be on the move.

The latest on Luis Diaz’s Liverpool future

Diaz scored 17 goals and provided eight assists across all competitions last season, indeed playing a decent chunk of his football as Liverpool’s makeshift striker.

There’s no denying he was one of the most important parts of Slot’s squad, but Diaz is 28 and entering the second-to-last year in his £55k-per-week contract. In spite of Liverpool turning Barcelona’s approach aside last month, concrete talks for a new deal don’t appear to be forthcoming.

But interest has persisted. Bayern Munich are understood to have recently agreed personal terms with the Colombian, and while Liverpool’s stance remains the same, a lucrative offer could change the narrative.

Diaz is one of the best wingers in the Premier League, in Europe, but if Liverpool receive a compelling offer, there’s just cause for his summer transfer, especially if a new deal on Merseyside isn’t in the pipeline.

And indeed, Slot and Hughes appear to have identified a successor already.

Liverpool lining up Diaz successor

According to RMC Sport over in France, Liverpool have joined the race for Lyon winger Malick Fofana, who is also on Bayern Munich and Marseille’s radar.

Chelsea were previously interested, but their £51.5m signing of Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund should put them out of consideration (emphasis on ‘should’).

Lyon’s financial struggles could ease negotiations for Liverpool, but the Ligue 1 outfit are likely to demand something in the region of €50m (£43m).

What Malick Fofana would bring to Liverpool

Fofana might only be 20 years old, but he’s already established himself as one of the most exciting offensive talents in Europe. Across 62 appearances with Lyon, he’s scored 15 goals and supplied seven assists.

He’s unpolished and would need plenty of coaching to reach Diaz’s slick level as a Premier League powerhouse, but the ingredients are absolutely there. Praised for his “style, swagger and charisma” on the field by journalist Antonio Mango, who was advocating in May for his potential to succeed Diaz at Liverpool, should the South American leave.

Fofana’s pace and power as a winger make the strong suggestion that he’s a tailor-made successor on the left wing. Last season, for example, he hit 17 goal contributions across all competitions despite only starting 23 times, with Mango also calling him a “game-changer”.

Fofana, moreover, has shown himself to have an eye for a wonder goal.

Diaz’s uniqueness will be hard to replace. Not only a dynamic athlete, he is intelligent and happy to perform across any number of roles in order to drive Slot’s project closer toward success.

But there’s a logic to FSG’s hesitance toward extending Diaz’s deal: he’s not exactly proved a winger of sustained prolificness across his time at Anfield, and ebbed and flowed from form throughout points of the 2024/25 campaign.

Diaz and Cody Gakpo equally provided an attacking output that was surpassed only by Mohamed Salah. With signing a new striker on the cards, the reorienting of Liverpool’s goal threat could actually work in Fofana’s favour, allowing him to arrive without the responsibility of emulating Diaz’s form from the off.

Fofana’s limited starting action across all competitions didn’t stop him from displaying a promising clinical edge, though. As per FBref, the Belgium international ranked among the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues last term for non-penalty goals scored and the top 2% for progressive carries per 90.

Looking at Fofana’s crisp 84% pass rate in Ligue 1 last term, too, there’s surely just cause for Liverpool to push ahead and sign him before one rival or another steals ahead and snaps him up.

Given that Diaz’s stock is sky-high at the moment, Liverpool would also be able to complete this series of moves to their financial benefit, which could prove especially important given that signing a new centre-forward is indeed a matter of priority for the Reds.

With Gakpo easing the pressure on the left flank, signing Fofana before he hits his prime should prove a masterful move from FSG. One which rivals will look back on with envy in the coming years.

He’s not fully developed yet, but there’s so much to like with this Diaz-esque talent. And is that not the Liverpool way?

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