Manchester City have moved quickly to deny interest in a Liverpool superstar, after reports in Spain that they were on the brink of poaching a key player from their rivals on the eve of the new season.
Pep Guardiola’s champions have had a relatively quiet window so far, signing only Savinho from French side Troyes, while Julian Alvarez is the club’s most high-profile departure after he completed an £82million move to Atletico Madrid this week.
That move, plus a host of fringe player exits, means that City have money to spend if they want to replace the Argentine and reports in Spain on Tuesday afternoon claimed that Guardiola and company were looking to Anfield for their next signing.
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Spanish outlet El Chiringuito claimed that Liverpool winger Luis Diaz had agreed to join City on a five-year deal, with the club ready to pay Liverpool €70million for the Colombia international.
However, this speculation was quickly shot down both on the City and Liverpool side. Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano posted on X (formerly Twitter) that: “Manchester City sources deny any agreement with Luis Diaz after recent reports,” while the Liverpool Echo confirmed that the Reds have not received any kind of offer for the 27-year-old.
Among those breathing a sigh of relief that this report was a non-starter will be Newcastle United, as Liverpool continue to be linked with a move for Anthony Gordon following a reported failed bid earlier this summer.
Romano reported this week that there would be the ‘possibility’ for Liverpool to rekindle their interest in Gordon, should the Magpies drop their valuation of the England winger, adding that Gordon was a ‘domino kind of player’.
Had there been any substance to the Diaz report, the Colombian could have been the first domino to fall here in a move that former Reds defender Jamie Carragher has again given the seal of approval for.
“That was a transfer that I would like to have seen go through,” Carragher told the Echo’s Blood Red podcast earlier this week.
“If there was still something in that between now and the end of the window, that’s something I would be really interested in us doing.
“I think the reason why Anthony Gordon’s name has probably come up and why Liverpool are interested is that I think there’s only Nunez in the attack now who has blistering pace,’ he added.
“Salah’s obviously not as quick as he was, of course he’s not, and I don’t think Diaz has got that pace. I go back to [Sadio] Mane… I think Anthony Gordon’s pace is frightening, I do. You know when you’re watching a game on TV and you go, “Wow!”, and you just see someone leave a full-back.
“That’s what I think he could add if that was the case, if he was to come in and maybe Liverpool were interested.”
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