Liverpool will entertain offers for Colombian attacker Luis Diaz this summer if they can convince Mohamed Salah to sign a new contract, according to a report.
The Reds memorably turned down a last-minute £150m bid from Al-Ittihad for Salah during the summer transfer window, and an anticipated second offer worth a world-record £200m ultimately did not arrive.
Since the summer saga, Salah has continued to shine in a Liverpool shirt with 19 goals and 10 assists from 28 matches in all competitions, finding the back of the net 15 times in 21 Premier League contests.
However, the 31-year-old - who has been plagued by hamstring issues in recent weeks - is out of contract at the end of the 2024-25 season, leaving Liverpool at risk of losing him on a free transfer in under 18 months' time.
Liverpool will be braced for summer bids from the financial powerhouses of the Saudi Pro League - Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal - the four teams backed by the country's Public Investment Fund, while Paris Saint-Germain are supposedly targeting Salah as a replacement for Real Madrid-bound Kylian Mbappe.
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However, it was reported in February that Salah could be persuaded to snub Saudi Arabia and commit to a new deal at Anfield, and Reds chiefs are apparently optimistic of reaching an agreement with his camp.
If Liverpool are successful in prolonging their partnership with Salah, The Sun claims that the Reds will be open to bids for fellow winger Diaz, just two-and-a-half years after his arrival from Porto.
Diaz quickly became a fan favourite on Merseyside following his £40.3m capture in January 2022, and he has a respectable 10 goals and five assists under his belt from 35 matches in 2023-24.
The Colombia international's parents were caught up in a terrifying kidnap ordeal in his native Colombia back in October, but he only missed two games for the Reds, and both his mother and father were rescued.
Diaz struggled to have a major impact on the wing during the first few months of the season, but he has either scored or assisted in each of Liverpool's last five Premier League games and also struck a crucial goal against Fulham in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.
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Despite his improving form, Liverpool are apparently not averse to parting ways with Diaz due to their plethora of options up front, a list which also includes Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota, while Dominik Szoboszlai can also be deployed out wide.
In addition, youngsters Jayden Danns, Lewis Koumas and Trey Nyoni are experiencing their first tastes of senior football this season, and the former two struck in Wednesday's 3-0 FA Cup success over Southampton in the fifth round.
Several unnamed teams in La Liga are believed to be keeping their eye on Diaz, who has 21 goals and 13 assists to show from 82 matches in a Liverpool shirt and is under contract at Anfield until 2027.
If the Reds are unsuccessful in negotiating a renewal with Salah, a separate report from Football Insider claims that they will demand at least £100m to sell the 31-year-old this summer, in spite of the fact that he will soon enter the final 12 months of his current terms.
On Friday, Jurgen Klopp confirmed that Salah would not be back from his muscular injury in time for Saturday's Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest, but both Nunez and Szoboszlai could return from their afflictions.
Ben Knapton
