Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has admitted he ‘misses’ Luis Diaz at Anfield and would love to see the Bayern Munich forward back at the club.
Diaz left the Reds in the summer after three years of service, departing for £65.5million to join the German champions after he and the Premier League side failed to agree terms on a new contract.
He’s had a positive first season in the Bundesliga, picking up 40 goal involvements in just 39 games and forming a lethal front three with Harry Kane and Michael Olise – also scoring in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have struggled this season, failing to replace Diaz on the left of their attack under Arne Slot.
And Gerrard wants him back. Speaking on TNT Sports prior to Bayern’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid, he said: ‘I wouldn’t mind Diaz back. I’m missing him, I’m missing him.’
Gerrard was initially talking about Olise, who has been linked with a potential move to Liverpool as a Mohamed Salah replacement.
Steven Gerrard has admitted he ‘missed’ Luis Diaz (right) at Liverpool and would love to see him return
Gerrard (left) also picked out Michael Olise (right) as a replacement for Mohamed Salah in the summer transfer window
The Frenchman is in the form of his life with the German club as part of that front three, and has picked up 44 goal involvements in 40 games this season, including 16 goals.
With a contract until 2029, the 24-year-old would cost a pretty penny, but Gerrard would be keen to see Liverpool cough up.
‘When you are a full back up against a winger, they normally have a weak side and you show them one way or another,’ Gerrard said. ‘The problem with him is he can go both ways – his right foot is just as strong as his left.
‘You see some of the assists he gets. If you leave him in 1v1 situations, you are in trouble.’
When asked if he would take Olise at Liverpool, he said: ‘All day long. But the problem is, why would he leave Bayern? Big club challenging for the big honours and they are probably the strongest Bayern team we have seen for a while.
‘He is about to take the World Cup by storm. He looks like a really happy kid – settled, to me – and I don’t think he’s going anywhere. But would I take him at Liverpool? Yes, I would love him.’
Reports in Germany suggest Liverpool are willing to put £173million on the table to sign the former Crystal Palace star, with Spanish side Real Madrid ready to bid £143m to bolster their attack. Bayern, though, insist their star isn’t going anywhere.
‘We’re not even considering that,’ Bayern sporting director Max Eberl told German publication BILD. ‘He’s an FC Bayern player and has all the opportunities here that top players could wish for.’
CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen, meanwhile, added: ‘No matter which club tries to lure him away, anyone who plays for FC Bayern knows what they have at FC Bayern.’
