Liverpool legend questions Bayern move for Diaz

In a summer market already tilting toward the chaotic, Bayern Munich’s £58.6 million bid for Liverpool’s Luis Diaz has landed like a thunderclap. The Bundesliga champions — eager to replenish their attacking ranks — thought they had found a solution in the Colombian winger. But Liverpool’s answer was firm: not for sale.

Diaz, now 28 and entering his prime years, has reportedly voiced some uncertainty about his long-term future at Anfield. “We’re talking,” he admitted during Colombia’s recent international break, acknowledging discussions with other clubs and describing his future as being “in the club’s hands.” Yet for all the speculation, the Reds remain unmoved. Arne Slot views him as essential to his plans and Liverpool, Premier League champions once more, are not in the business of selling starters — certainly not without an offer that would shift the tectonic plates.

The bid has not only failed but provoked a strong backlash — from an unlikely source. Didi Hamann, a former midfielder for both Liverpool and Bayern Munich, did not pull any punches in his assessment of his old German club’s strategy.

“To now bring in Luis Diaz, a 28-year-old South American who played 50 games per season for four or five years and has those long flights home, which are also a problem,” Hamann said bluntly on Sky Germany. “To pay 70 or 80 million for that, while the sale value is zero because he would be 32 at the end of his contract. I wonder what they even have the campus (academy) for?”

His remarks reflect more than just financial prudence. There is a growing sentiment within German football that Bayern’s dependency on high-profile imports may be stunting the development of their homegrown talents.

Although Diaz has not received a new contract offer from Liverpool — and his £140,000-a-week salary remains untouched since his 2022 move from Porto — the club appears relaxed. Diaz is contracted until 2027, and insiders have consistently rubbished claims of discontent over wages.

The winger’s performances have been more than respectable: 148 appearances, 41 goals, 16 assists, and four domestic trophies. His output, though not electric, is steady. His value to the system — his relentless pressing, his capacity to disrupt opposition shapes — is less tangible but no less real.

Slot has been clear: Diaz is part of his vision. And unless Bayern (or Barcelona, who’ve also sniffed around) return with an astronomical bid, Diaz will still be in red come September. Whether he wants to be is a more delicate matter. But if Liverpool can once again offer trophies and Champions League lights, then even amid European temptation, the Colombian’s best footballing future may still lie on Merseyside.