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Liverpool’s summer could be shaped by growing interest in one of our Premier League title-winning forwards – with Barcelona reportedly preparing a move.
Reports from Spain suggest that Luis Diaz has become the top attacking priority for the Catalan giants this summer.
According to Joaquim Piera via SPORT.es, Barcelona’s new manager Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco are aligned on the idea of bringing in our wide man.
Described as a “dream player” in the report, the 28-year-old is said to offer the kind of one-on-one boldness, touchline threat and end product that’s missing from Barca’s current setup.
He’s scored 17 goals and assisted five this season for the Reds, offering “tactical solutions” and becoming “a world-class striker” who would seemingly walk into their starting XI.
Luis Diaz is adored by many in Barcelona
It seems clear that we will say goodbye to Darwin Nunez this summer and the club is likely prepared to find a new player to take his position.
Indeed, Neil Mellor has offered his three suggestions to play the No.9 role but whether the club is ready for a new winger to arrive too, is unknown.
Talks are likely to take time, if this does become a transfer that happens, with a potential €85m fee required to prise our No.7 away.
Arne Slot clearly values the former Porto winger’s direct threat on the left-hand side and through the middle – and losing him now would seemingly be a major blow heading into year two under Arne Slot.
The Colombian’s maturity through a year of change at Anfield was clear, playing a key role in dethroning Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and helping us win the Premier League in our first season post-Klopp.
Let’s hope that this is only a move that goes ahead, if it’s part of the long term plan under our new boss.
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Ichiro had the most backhanded compliment for Marlins during Hall of Fame speech
Ichiro Suzuki delivered an amazing speech as he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, and it even included a surprising swipe at one of his own former teams. During the iconic speech, Ichiro took the time to thank each of of the three MLB teams that he played for across his 19 MLB seasons. When he arrived at the Miami Marlins, he made a hilarious wisecrack about how he had never heard of the team before they offered him a contract in 2015. “And to the Miami Marlins: I appreciate David Samson and Mike Hill for coming today. Honestly, when you guys called to offer me a contract for 2015, I had never heard of your team,” Ichiro joked. Many were surprised to hear Ichiro deliver his speech in English, as he almost always used an interpreter in interviews during and after his playing career. The fact that the 51-year-old was able to entertain the crowd while not speaking in his native language made the speech even more iconic. While thanking the New York Yankees, Ichiro had a funny comment about how his former teammates were only there to support CC Sabathia, who was also being inducted into Cooperstown. Ichiro is one of the greatest hitters in MLB history, and fans have enjoyed seeing the less serious side of him in recent months. Earlier this year, he also took a hilarious shot at the lone Hall of Fame voter who snubbed him. Ichiro called out the voter again during his speech on Sunday.
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Juraj Slafkovsky is one of the most promising players in the NHL, but now he has been called out by David Pastrnak, who stated he lacks humility. After being picked No. 1 overall in 2022 NHL Draft, expectations were high in Montreal for young star Juraj Slafkovsky, and thus far, he's shown glimpses of being the elite level player many expected when he entered the National Hockey League. However, there are still some major steps to go, and in a recent interview, Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak pointed out perhaps one area where the 21-year old may need to improve moving forward. When asked about Slafkovsky and his potential, Pastrnak gave nothing but a glowing review of the young Canadiens star, but he did note that he believes Slafkovsky needs more humility. 'He's still a young player who is gaining experience in the NHL every year. This season it was already clear that he gave the team more than before...He just needs a little more humility, he should set an example for the young ones.' On the ice, there's no doubting that Slafkovsky has the presence, the size and the talent to be a true star, posting 101 total points over the past two seasons, but for whatever reason, it appears as though Pastrnak believes he needs to improve off the ice before he can take a major leap in Montreal. Ultimately, the talent is still there for Slafkovsky, and at 21-years old, he'll continue to learn off the ice, and if he can go anywhere close to living up to the potential that he's shown in his first three years at the NHL level, there's no doubt that he can be a big time star and help lead the Canadiens to significant post-season success.
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