Barcelona have circled the left wing position as one of their big priority needs to sort out this summer, as the attack was lacking goal-scoring output next to Robert Lewandowski, entirely reliant on the Polish international not going into a slump.
Furthermore, the Blaugrana want a winger who can bring dynamism with the goals, taking pressure off phenom Lamine Yamal on the right side.
The right side of the Barcelona attack is well and truly set, with Yamal looking like the best prospect on the planet and veteran Raphinha ably backing him up.
Nico Williams has broken out across from Yamal already, albeit with the Spanish national team, continuing to show why he is one of the best breakout wingers in world football and wanted by clubs around the world.
You’d think that Williams – a young, established LaLiga talent who is shining for Spain – would be the clear top option for Barcelona on the left wing, but that apparently isn’t the case.
Mundo Deportivo have been reporting that Liverpool star Luis Diaz is actually ahead of Nico Williams on Barca’s left wing wishlist right now.
The reason is that Barcelona feel Diaz can bring more goals to the table over Williams, and it seems as though goals from the wing are the priority.
While it is true that Williams has scored just 11 goals in his last two seasons for Athletic Club, Diaz has never scored more than 8 goals in a season with Liverpool.
Diaz’s best scoring season came in 2021/22 when he scored 14 goals for FC Porto and then 4 with Liverpool after the mid-season transfer to the Premier League.
So while Diaz, in theory, offers more of a goal-scoring threat, the difference is marginal and is so marginal, in fact, that a lack of consistent scoring output is probably one of the reasons why Liverpool are open to selling the Colombian star this summer.
Liverpool know how big of a talent Diaz is, especially as a dribbler, but he is 27. They want to cash in. Barcelona would be signing a 27-year-old over a 21-year-old who is just as good because they think Diaz will score one or two more goals.
Williams’ scoring output could explode over the next few years as he develops better finishing and technical consistency. Barcelona can witness first hand how a couple of years’ difference turned Vinicius Junior into a machine.
Not to compare the two players, but that is something Barcelona need to keep in mind when deciding between Diaz and Williams, because they could be making a grave mistake based on a heuristic.
