Liverpool ready bid for £65m Wirtz upgrade

It was a significant show of faith in Rio Ngumoha’s potential when Liverpool opted against directly replacing Luis Diaz this summer.

Diaz, 28, had been a steady source of positivity down the left flank for over three years on Merseyside, and he was instrumental in winning the Premier League last season, posting 17 goals and eight assists across all competitions.

But he and FSG had reached a contract dispute, and his openness to moving for new pastures saw Bayern Munich’s £65.5m offer accepted in August. He brought four major honours to Anfield.

Liverpool welcomed a wealth of talent to their ranks this summer, but they didn’t sign an out-and-out left winger. Partly, this was because of Cody Gakpo and £116m arrival Florian Wirtz’s ability to play out on the flank, but Ngumoha’s emergence also played a factor.

However, the up-and-down start to the season will have shown Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes that perhaps that was a mistake. And if rumours are to be believed, the Reds hierarchy are considering rectifying that blunder.

Why Liverpool need a left winger

When Wirtz joined Liverpool in July, it was expected that he would settle in as one of the Premier League’s best players. That is still the anticipation, though his start to life in England has left much to be desired.

After assisting Hugo Ekitike on his debut in the Community Shield, the 22-year-old has since blanked across each of his eight appearances, lacking the quality and confidence in the crucial moments to make a difference.

That quality is in there, but Liverpool’s wider tactical struggles this term have exacerbated Wirtz’s slow start, with the attacking midfielder struggling to find his feet across central and wide berths.

While the German international can play out wide, this is not his most effective role, and with that in mind, Liverpool might want to sign a Diaz-like winger in 2026 to help balance the system out once again, perhaps raising Wirtz’s game concurrently.

And, according to Spanish sources, FSG are preparing an official €75m (£65m) offer for Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, though the Basque outfit are holding out to see that their €90m (£78m) valuation is met.

Williams, 23, was reported by Fabrizio Romano this summer to be Arsenal’s “dream target”, but the Gunners failed to make a breakthrough and went down a different track.

Liverpool are aware of interest from other suitors and hope to close a deal swiftly, so keep a close eye on this one.

What Nico Williams would bring to Liverpool

A maverick of a winger, Williams rose to prominence for his performances at the 2024 European Championship with Spain, vital to the Iberian nation’s triumph, hailed for his “incredible” talent by Barcelona’s Pedri.

During that summer tournament, Spain were simply a cut above the rest, and Williams and Lamine Yamal drew so many plaudits for their electric performances, uncontainable.

The fast-footed talent has played 171 matches for Athletic Bilbao and earned 30 caps for Spain. For his club, he has posted 32 goals and assists apiece.

A groin injury has disrupted his start to the current campaign, but with a goal and two assists to his name already, the £276k-per-week ace is sure to hit form once fitness levels have been recovered.

Last season wasn’t one of seamless success for Williams, who only scored five times in La Liga, but he notched 14 goals across all competitions and showed through his underlying data his high-level ability. As per Sofascore, he completed 2.3 dribbles and won 4.9 duels on average each game.

It’s more than Williams operates in a similar way to Diaz, and thus could be an invaluable puzzle piece for Slot as the Dutch manager works on recalibrating his out-of-sorts Liverpool team.

You would hope that the Merseysiders’ struggles would have been combatted by the end of the campaign, but Williams could prove a long-term success and an upgrade on Wirtz down the left channel.

Curiously, there are quite a few similarities between the respective players, even though stylistic differences are clear when observing them in action.

Both players are adept at taking on defenders, with staggering close control. Wirtz is artful on the ball. However, Williams is more of a relentless carrier, and that is something Slot’s side need to stretch lines and accommodate Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak in the centre.

In fact, he has been described in the past as a “world-class prospect” by journalist Zach Lowy, who went on to say that the “absolute menace” was proving a terror for Spanish defences across the 2023/24 campaign.

It’s clear that Wirtz is a talented footballer and that he could become one of the Premier League’s leading figures at Liverpool. But Liverpool need to sign a first-class winger to add width and energy to Slot’s flanks.

Williams is that man, with his “unpredictable” and “relentless” dribbling, as noted by analyst Ben Mattinson, bound to add a dimension to the Liverpool fold, especially when Mohamed Salah lacks his one-time athleticism on the alternate wing.

Is Williams a more technically talented footballer than Wirtz? Does his ceiling stretch higher than the German playmaker’s own? In both cases, probably not.

However, Liverpool haven’t looked quite right this season, and the Spaniard’s electric pace and Diaz-like qualities as a winger might prove the upgrade needed to restore the tactical equilibrium.