Liverpool transfers: Sell Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz urges ex-Red Collymore

Liverpool should SELL both Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz this summer according to Stan Collymore, who has even offered to drive Diaz to Barcelona should the Catalans make a suitable bid. 

Diaz, 27, has been linked with the Anfield exit door ahead of the opening of the transfer window with Barcelona being mentioned as his most likely destination. 

However, it’s unlikely at this stage whether the Catalan giants have the means to meet Liverpool’s demands. 

Diaz, a Colombian international, is under contract at Anfield until 2027 and it will take a sizeable bid to remove him. 

Barcelona president Joan Laporta was quoted between €120 million and €140m in initial negotiations, according to reports, and that is far out of the budget range for Hansi Flick’s side. 

Gakpo, meanwhile, is a surprise name linked with a Liverpool departure. The 25-year-old Dutch international finished the season in good form, taking a starting berth from Darwin Nunez, but Collymore doesn’t feel he’s got the quality to lead the line for Arne Slot’s side. 

With that in mind, the former England international is convinced that BOTH should be sold and the money reinvested in new forwards for the Reds. 

Liverpool have been linked with Dario Osorio, Mohammed Kudus, Bryan Mbeumo and Brajan Gruda as potential incomings this summer and income from sales of Diaz and Gakpo could help facilitate deals. 

Sell Diaz and Gakpo says Collymore

“I think Luis Diaz is obviously a talented player but Liverpool are not particularly short in attacking positions,” Collymore wrote in a column for Caught Offside. 

“If you look at Salah, Gakpo, Jota, Nunez and Diaz… they can afford to lose one, and if the choice was mine, it would be Cody Gakpo. 

“There is the argument that he gives Liverpool flexibility and can play as a number nine, and there haven’t been lots of rumours about him going which would suggest that he’s staying put for a season or two. 

“Diaz is an odd one because of his injuries, the situation with his father’s kidnap which was obviously very traumatic during the season… at times he looks world class but at others he struggles to get a foothold in the game.

"It really does depend on whether Barcelona are prepared to pay £50m-£60m for him, in which case I’ll drive him to Barcelona. 

"If it wasn’t a derisory offer and they offered a player in return as well, for the new manager it might simply depend on what kind of player that they’re offering. 

"In the pecking order of strikers at the club, you’re looking at Salah, then Nunez, then Jota, then Diaz and finally Gakpo, so the Colombian is in the bottom two. 

“Man for man, I don’t think you’ll find any Liverpool fan will put Diaz in between Salah and Nunez, for example in terms of importance to the club. 

"So I have no problem with him going because he’s been okay, but I don’t think he’s been stunning. At Liverpool, if you’re going to win titles, you’ve got to be stunning. You’ve got to hit your marks, you got to hit your stats. 

"If Barcelona come along with a good offer and it allows Arne Slot to have the kind of funds to be able to bring in a player that he likes in a position that he wants, it makes sense for me.”