Klopp could land Luis Diaz upgrade in Liverpool swoop for £51m “architect”

The January transfer window is open for business next month and Liverpool could look to bolster their playing squad ahead of the second half of the season.

Jurgen Klopp could dip into the market to improve his options as the Reds look to compete for silverware in 2024, starting with the semi-finals of the League Cup against Fulham.

One player who has been linked with a possible move to Anfield is Villarreal forward Alex Baena, who is also being eyed up by Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Arsenal.

90min reported that all four of those clubs have shown an interest in the Spanish attacker and that they may have to meet his £51m release clause to secure his services at the start of next year.

Klopp could now land an upgrade on current left winger Luis Diaz by winning the race for Baena’s signature when the January window opens.

Luis Diaz’s season in numbers

The Colombia international is in his third Premier League season, his second full one, and is yet to showcase his quality as a scorer or a creator of goals on a consistent basis.

Diaz racked up eight goals, five assists, and four ‘big chances’ created in 30 top-flight appearances during his first 18 months at the club.

This season, the 26-year-old whiz has contributed with three goals, zero assists, and one ‘big chance’ created in 16 Premier League outings, to go along with 1.1 key passes per match.

These statistics show that the former Porto star has not been a reliable scorer or creator for Liverpool as a right-footed left winger over the last two years or so.

The statistics that show why Liverpool should sign Baena

Whereas, Baena has showcased his ability to be a consistently impressive creative threat down the left side of the attack – or in central areas as an attacking midfielder – for his side.

The 22-year-old ace, who is four years younger than Diaz and has more time left to develop and improve, has produced seven goals and 20 ‘big chances’ created in 51 LaLiga outings since the start of last season – despite only 35 coming as a starter.

Meanwhile, the Liverpool attacker has only created five ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 46 Premier League appearances for the Reds – 34 as a starter.

Over the last 365 days, Diaz has averaged 4.52 shot-creating actions and produced 0.11 Expected Assisted Goals per 90, which ranks him within the top 24% and the bottom 11% respectively of his positional peers within the Men’s Big Five Leagues and European competitions.

Baena, on the other hand, ranks within the top 2% of his positional peers for xAG (0.26) and assists (0.29) per 90 during the same period, whilst the Reds forward is in the bottom 2% for assists with zero per 90.

These statistics suggest that the Villarreal ace, who was once hailed as “beautiful” and an “architect” by journalist Josh Bunting, could come in as an upgrade on Diaz for Klopp due to his sensational creative quality that significantly outweighs the Colombian’s.