Ex-Barcelona scout makes Luis Diaz criticism as transfer links resurface

A former Barcelona scout has criticised Luis Diaz's output, as transfer links between the Spanish club and Liverpool's winger have resurfaced.

After an injury-hit season in 2022/23, Diaz has battled back to establish himself as Jurgen Klopp's first-choice on the left side of the front three.

The Colombian, who also had to deal with the kidnapping of his father late last year, has featured in all but one of Liverpool's 28 Premier League games so far this season and has 12 goals and three assists in all competitions to date.

Amid the recent injury crisis at Anfield that has impacted most of the Reds' other first-team forwards, Diaz has remained a virtual ever-present for Klopp and has impressed with his dribbling and energy on the the left wing.

Amid his good form, reports have surfaced linking the former Porto star to Barcelona.

One Colombian outlet even claimed that Liverpool had named their price, after Diaz's agent met with Barça representatives to discuss a possible summer deal.

Reports of Barca interest in Diaz, who is under contract at Anfield until 2027, are nothing new.

The club's president Joan Laporta revealed back in 2022 that he had spoken with the star's agent about a move, but were beaten to the punch by Liverpool.

"We had a conversation with his agent," Laporta said. "At that moment, we had only just come into the club really and Liverpool were ahead of us.

"There was a moment when we considered signing him but we still had to sort out the financial situation and they beat us to him."

Meanwhile, fires were stoked regarding a future Camp Nou move by Diaz's own father, who let slip to Win Sports last year: "It is true that Luis is a loyal Barcelona fan and it would be his dream to go there."

'He’s a player who has a great game and the next he’s not there.'

One former Barcelona man isn't especially sold on Diaz, however.

Bojan Krkic Sr. — a former club scout and father of the one-time wonderkid of the same name — admitted to 'assessing' Diaz's talents for the Spanish giants while he was still at Porto, but is unconvinced regarding the winger's consistency.

He told Cadena Ser, via Marca: “When he was at Porto, we were assessing him and following him. Luis Diaz has quality, he has talent, he has speed, he has dribbling, he has a goal, he has everything. But the problem is that, if you look at Liverpool, he doesn’t have continuity in his performance and he is not an undisputed starter.

“That’s what happened to him, also at Porto. That is to say, he does the best and the worst, well not the worst, but he’s a player who has a great game and the next one he’s not there.”

It's a critique some fans have also made of Diaz this season, with his end product coming under fire from some quarters following the 1-1 draw with Manchester City in which he spurned at least one big chance to score.

However, while his finishing may be questioned, consistency is a strange area to attack Diaz, who has been a willing and tireless performer for Liverpool this season and an important outlet down the left flank, as the Reds chase an unprecedented quadruple.