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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Felix Keith

Liverpool 'identify' three first-team players to offload to fund transfer for Luis Diaz

Liverpool are willing to sell Takumi Minamino, Divock Origi and Nat Phillips in the final two days of the January transfer window, according to reports.

The Reds are poised to announce the signing of Luis Diaz on a five-year contract worth £90,000 per week from Porto after gazumping Tottenham.

Diaz will cost Liverpool an initial upfront fee of £37.5million, with a further £12.5m payable in add-ons depending on how the Colombian winger starts on Merseyside.

That is a lot less than Porto were initially aiming for, after Liverpool’s soon-to-be sporting director Julian Ward haggled them down in price.

Porto wanted £83m for Diaz, which would have triggered the £66.4m clause in his contract and handed former club Junior de Barranquilla £16.6m for the 20 percent stake in the winger.

Luis Díaz will cost Liverpool an initial £37.5million (Valter Gouveia/Getty Images)

Nevertheless, £50m is still a significant amount to commit to and Liverpool are therefore open to offers for some of their first-team players in order to soften the financial blow.

The Athletic says that Minamino, Origi and Phillips are the three who they could realistically attract late attention in.

Diaz has contributed 16 goals and four assists in 26 appearances for Porto this season, playing on the left side of attack.

He has been signed to provide competition for places and back-up for Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino, who are Jurgen Klopp’s first-choice attackers.

The recent form of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as well as the return to fitness of Harvey Elliott and emergence of Kaide Gordon, has encouraged Klopp he doesn’t need as much depth up front.

Minamino has only made six starts in all competitions so far this season and has failed to make much of an impact since arriving from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020 for £7.25m.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Are Liverpool right to sell Minamino, Origi and Phillips? Comment below.

Takumi Minamino has only started six games for Liverpool this season (Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Getty Images)

Leeds United and Monaco are both reportedly interested in the Japan international, who Liverpool value at around £20m.

Origi holds cult hero status at Liverpool, but is out of contract this summer and is on the radar of Newcastle United and Atalanta, according to the report.

There is a clause in the Belgian striker’s contract that will trigger an extra year if he plays a certain number of matches this season, but the club would consider letting him go before Monday’s 11pm deadline.

Phillips has been on the market for the right price all month, but Liverpool are yet to receive an offer in the region of £15m, which they would deem acceptable.

The 24-year-old centre-back is way down the pecking order and has played just three times so far this season.

Watford have already seen a £7m bid rejected, while Newcastle are interested in taking him on loan after failing in bids to sign Sevilla’s Diego Carlos and Lille’s Sven Botman.

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