Date: 7th January 2022 at 3:46pm
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Liverpool will be without a number of stars for a number of reasons when they face Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup third round on Sunday. 

The Reds’ existing problems, namely injuries to Thiago Alcantara among others, were made worse in midweek by an outbreak of Covid-19 at the club, prompting the postponement of their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Thursday.

Jurgen Klopp, who himself has also tested positive in the last week, will also now be missing Joel Matip, Naby Keita, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah for up to a month, as the quartet take part in the African Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

While the german would likely have rotated his team for the visit of League One Shrewsbury, but his vast absentees will undoubtedly cause problems in the coming weeks.

With that in mind, Klopp has started early in the transfer market, closing in on a deal for Porto winger Luis Diaz, as per The Sun.

Diaz has become one of the most coveted talents in Europe

The report claims that the Colombian winger, who has impressed during each of the past two seasons for the Portuguese side, is close to joining the Reds this month.

The 24-year-old, who featured in both games against Liverpool in the Champions League group stages earlier this season, will reportedly cost the Reds around £60 million, slightly less than his £67 million release clause.

This term, Diaz has scored 12 goals and provided four assists in 15 Portuguese top flight matches.

He was also joint top scorer during last summer’s Copa America, equalling Lionel Messi’s four goals throughout the competition.

His performances for Porto have made him one of the most wanted attackers in Europe, with a number of clubs across the continent credited with an interest in the player.

Diaz will provide valuable cover for Mane and Salah during their time at AFCON, and will likely act as an important rotation option as Liverpool tackle a hectic schedule during the second half of the season.

 
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