Liverpool Identify $90M Star As Sadio Mane's Replacement In January: Report

Liverpool FC have reportedly identified Porto winger Luis Diaz as a solution to their Africa Cup of Nations crisis in January.

Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are set to leave on international duty next month and the Reds are trying to boost their attack to ensure they don’t suffer much in the duo’s absence. Liverpool are eyeing Diaz as an ideal replacement for Mane, according to soccer website FourFourTwo. This is mainly because Diaz’s primary position at Porto is on the left wing, similar to Mane’s at Liverpool.

Despite the rise in COVID-19 cases across the globe due to the Omicron variant, the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) is still set to kickstart as scheduled on Jan. 9, 2022, in Cameroon and the tournament will go on till Feb. 6, 2022.

Porto definitely do not want to lose its top performer in the middle of the season and moreover, Diaz is contracted with the Portuguese club until 2024, so Liverpool will have to pay a hefty fee to secure the Colombian forward. Therefore, it looks unlikely to see Diaz leave Porto in January, according to German publication Sport1.

Moreover, the report has claimed that Liverpool will have to compete with the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich in the race to sign Diaz.

It was earlier reported that Diaz has a release clause of $90 million at Porto.

Salah, whose current contract is due to expire in 2023, has not agreed to an extension with Liverpool yet. Apart from demanding the club to double his current wages, Salah has also asked for assurance that Liverpool would make new signings to strengthen the squad.

By signing Diaz, Liverpool could make a stronger case to convince Salah to remain at Anfield. Liverpool are also considering signing Borrusia Dortmund star Erling Haaland in a bid to convince their Egyptian King, according to Sports Illustrated.

Haaland has netted 19 goals and five assists in 16 competitive matches for Dortmund this season. In comparison to that, Salah has netted 24 goals in 22 games for Liverpool, across all competitions.

Diaz, 24, is also having an excellent season with Porto, having scored 14 goals and four assists in 23 competitive matches in 2021-22.

After starting his professional career in Colombia, Diaz moved to Porto in the summer of 2019. It could be a great signing for Liverpool as the Colombian forward is yet to reach his peak.

Porto are currently at the top of the league table with 41 points and are yet to lose a game.