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Columbian attacker Luis Diaz played a major role with Liverpool this season as they were crowned champions of England, but he could be on his way out.
Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr are heavily interested in the talented winger and are prepared to offer an €85 million bid in the coming days.
Reports say the 28-year-old, whose contract with Liverpool is set to expire in June 2027 at a salary of £120,000 per week, is not currently negotiating an extension, fueling speculation for the summer transfer window.
Al Nassr and Luis Diaz, exclusive story from April… still ongoing. https://t.co/dizT3Qb2jC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 30, 2025
Díaz scored 13 goals while dropping five assists in 36 matches during the Premier League this season, demonstrating his skill and versatility under Arne Slot, who utilized him both centrally and on the left.
For Al-Nassr, Diaz would be a huge addition to a club who is on the verge of potentially losing Cristiano Ronaldo to rival club Al-Hilal this summer. Sadio Mane’s contract expires in 2027, so, bringing in Diaz provides youth, pace, playmaking, and goal scoring alongside Mane for at least another two seasons.
The club's financial backing comes from the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), who have majority ownership with Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli. The approximate cost of €85 million is more than feasible for Al-Nassr and it gives Diaz an opportunity to play with Colombian teammate Jhon Durán.
With the move, Diaz would see a huge pay increase and become an integral part of Al-Nassr’s future plans.
Liverpool is reportedly going after Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz, which will likely cost more than €120 million. Selling Diaz would fund a large portion of the deal and might be the best option for both sides.
Barcelona are also interested in Diaz, but Al-Nassr’s financial advantage might be too much to battle against.
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Preseason breakout puts Arsenal teenager in the spotlight
Teenage midfielder Max Dowman was relatively unknown to most Arsenal supporters at the start of the summer, but a string of composed, confident displays against senior opposition has quickly propelled him into the spotlight. Dowman had already made history before his first minutes with the senior squad, becoming the club’s youngest-ever UEFA Youth League goal scorer at just 14 years, eight months and 19 days, and also the youngest player to feature in Premier League 2. The latter milestone brought him to the full attention of Mikel Arteta, but it's his seamless integration with the first team that has raised eyebrows throughout the club. Included in Arsenal’s preseason tour of Asia, Dowman impressed with his maturity, technical quality and tactical awareness. The 15-year-old stood out in a cameo against Villarreal, winning a penalty, completing nearly all of his passes and attempting several incisive dribbles during a 30-minute outing. Earlier in the tour, he earned another late penalty to help seal a win over Newcastle, showing further evidence of his poise under pressure. Typically deployed as a right-sided attacking midfielder, Dowman has drawn lofty comparisons to both Lionel Messi and Martin Odegaard. Observers have praised his low center of gravity, close control and quick feet, attributes that mark him as a rare natural talent in today’s game. With Premier League rules preventing Arsenal from offering a professional contract until he turns 17, the club is managing his development carefully. Dowman has been handed squad number 56 and continues to train with the first team, but Arteta has stressed the importance of caution, highlighting the need to protect the youngster from overexposure ahead of his pending full league debut. “He continues to impress, without a doubt,” Arteta siad, via Simon Collings of The Standard. “The impact he had in the game again today, the efficiency that he shows in every attacking action, it’s incredible. Again, he deserves to have chances, and if he continues like this, let’s see what happens.” “With Max it’s been so fast. Even last year when he was training with us, he was doing this kind of thing in training and now he’s doing it in the game consistently.” Interest is already building beyond north London, with reports suggesting Real Madrid are monitoring his progress. Still, Arsenal remains confident it can keep him grounded and committed. Whether or not a Premier League debut is imminent, Dowman’s preseason form has made one thing clear: Arsenal may have unearthed its next homegrown star.
Rory McIlroy's controversial decision leaves PGA Tour 'very concerned'
Seventy players qualified for the first round of the playoffs at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, but only 69 will tee it up at TPC Southwind this week. That's because Rory McIlroy, who ranks second in the FedEx Cup standings behind only Scottie Scheffler, is skipping the first playoff event to prepare for the BMW Championship and Tour Championship. The PGA Tour isn't thrilled with his contentious decision. Peter Malnati, a PGA Tour pro and player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, told Golfweek he's "very concerned" the new playoff format allows top players in the standings to skip playoff events. "I think there is stuff in the works, and I'll leave it at that," he said. The PGA Tour must make changes because McIlroy won't face any repercussions for skipping the FedEx St. Jude Championship. As the No. 2 player in the FedEx Cup standings entering the postseason, McIlroy is guaranteed to qualify for the Tour Championship. Before this year, he would've been incentivized to improve his spot in the standings because of the advantage the starting strokes format gave the No. 1 player. That's no longer the case. This year, the Tour Championship will operate like every other tournament on the PGA Tour schedule. There will be no starting strokes advantage for the top players, so every player from No. 1 to No. 30 will have an equal chance to win the $10 million prize. It doesn't matter where McIlroy resides in the standings. It just matters that he makes it to East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, and he's already locked up his spot in the season finale. Why spend a week in scorching-hot Memphis when you could stay home and prepare for the tournament that actually matters, right? The new playoff format will make the Tour Championship more entertaining for fans, but it renders the other two playoff events irrelevant for the PGA Tour's top players. The Tour must make playoff events mandatory to prevent other stars from following McIlroy's lead.
Blue Jays demolish MLB records with eye-popping Coors Field performance
DENVER — There's nothing like coming to Coors Field to fix what ails you. Just ask the Toronto Blue Jays. Losers of six of eight games before arriving in Denver, the Blue Jays posted an MLB-record 63 hits in a three-game series while easily sweeping a road series from the Colorado Rockies. By totaling 25 hits on Monday night, 14 on Tuesday and 24 in Wednesday's matinee, the Blue Jays set a new MLB standard for offensive prowess. Toronto passed the MLB record of 62 hits in a three-game series, set by the Boston Red Sox in a June 7-9, 1950 matchup against the St. Louis Browns. As part of the hit parade, Toronto smashed 13 home runs, the most ever surrendered by the Rockies in a three-game set. Included in that barrage were three hits by Bo Bichette, including a three-run shot on Wednesday afternoon that got the Blue Jays rolling in the third inning. Kyle Freeland, Wednesday's starter for Colorado, allowed seven hits in his 4.2 innings of work. That was the fewest amount of hits given up by a Rockies starter against Toronto, as Rockies starter Tanner Gordon allowed 11 in 2.2 frames on Monday, while Anthony Molina surrendered nine in 5.0 innings on Tuesday. "We need to pitch with confidence as starting pitchers. We need to command the baseball better in general," said Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer as his team slipped to 30-84 on the season. "We have to put hitters away when we have that opportunity." That was something Colorado couldn't do against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, as their first six runs of a 20-1 blowout win came with two outs in the frame. Wednesday's offensive explosion helped Toronto outscore the Rockies, 45-6, in the series. That run differential was the second-most in MLB's modern era and the most runs scored by an MLB team in a three-game series since the 2019 Chicago Cubs scored 47 runs against the Pittsburgh Pirates from Sept. 13-15, 2019. In all, the 45 runs, 63 hits and 13 home runs allowed in the series were each the most allowed by Colorado pitchers in a three-game set in franchise history. How bad did it get for Colorado at the end of the series? Down 12-1 entering the ninth inning on Wednesday, the Rockies put catcher Austin Nola on the mound for his first-ever pitching appearance. He was nothing like his younger brother, Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola, as he promptly gave up four consecutive doubles, including RBI shots from Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as part of eight hits and eight runs posted by the Blue Jays against him. "It hurts when you get beat that bad for three games," Nola said. "We can compete with anybody. I know we can. We're all Major League players, so it definitely hurts. We're going to have to flush this one and get back out there on Friday in Arizona and have a new competitive attitude." All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Why Red Sox may regret extending rookie Roman Anthony
To say that the Boston Red Sox are keeping MLB fans and analysts on their toes this season is an understatement. Almost two months after trading the face of their franchise, Boston signed MLB’s No. 1 prospect, Roman Anthony, to an eight-year, $130 million extension. Between trading Rafael Devers and locking Anthony up through 2034, the Red Sox have been the boldest MLB team this season by far. But will this move pay off? Fans expected Sox owner John Henry to spend money on the team during the offseason, but no one anticipated a massive mid-year pact with a rookie would occur. Anthony has only played 46 MLB games, during which he has slashed .283/.400/.428 with 19 RBIs and two home runs. While his rapid ascent through the minor league and hot start to his professional baseball career are beyond what fans could’ve asked for, Anthony’s extension is still premature from a financial perspective. With a $16.25 million AAV on his contract, the Sox have piled high expectations onto a player who recently turned 21 years old. For Anthony’s sizable and long-term commitment to be worth the investment, he should produce an annual 2.0 WAR at least and earn at least three or four All-Star, Gold Glove or Silver Slugger Awards by the end of his contract. For reference, Marcell Ozuna and Kyle Tucker received contracts within $250,000 AAV of Anthony’s contract AAV, according to Spotrac. All three achieved this criterion before they were rewarded with lucrative agreements. Weighing these standards against Anthony’s newness to MLB, it’s nearly impossible to say Boston’s decision-making was backed by more than just impulse. Somehow, Anthony isn’t the first rookie the Red Sox extended this year. With five games of baseball under his belt, Boston closed an eight-year, $60 million deal with Kristian Campbell, who was MLB’s No. 6 prospect at the time. While Campbell’s $7.5 million AAV is drastically different from Anthony’s, the Sox’s strategy to hoard young players before they’ve had enough time to prove themselves isn’t logical. Keeping Anthony off the free-agent market for the next decade may be the best risk the Sox have ever taken, or it may be one of the most expensive decisions made. Anthony must deliver the high-performance projections his contract sets for his early extension to pay off, but odds are, Boston is putting the cart before the horse.
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