Porto coach Sergio Conceicao is desperate to keep hold of Luis Diaz as Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur weigh up a new bid for the Colombia international, as reported by A Bola.
Cast your mind back to January 1995.
In the midst of an enthralling title fight, Newcastle sold star striker Andy Cole to Manchester United for a British record fee of £7 million.
Four months later, the Premier League trophy was being adorned with red ribbons rather than black-and-white ones, Cole scoring 12 goals in 18 games as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side finished four points clear of Kevin Keegan’s great ‘Entertainers’ in top spot.
Now, the Diaz situation is not exactly identical. But the point still stands.
Selling your star man, your most reliable goalscorer, midway through the season – with a title on the line – is about as good an idea as, say, Everton hiring a manager with legendary status on the other side of Stanley Park.
Will Porto sell Luis Diaz to Tottenham?
As it stands, unbeaten Porto are six points clear of reigning champions Sporting Lisbon in the Primeira Liga table.
And it’s Diaz – 14 goals and five assists in 18 games – turning Porto’s domestic dreams into reality.
So no wonder Conceicao, Porto’s demanding head coach, views keeping hold of the jet-heeled talisman as ‘absolutely fundamental to the club’s objectives’.
Fortunately, Conceicao appears to have the backing of his Porto bosses.
Antonio Conte’s Tottenham failed with an opening bid in the region of £37 million on Tuesday night, according to ESPN. Not to be deterred, Spurs will make a new and improved offer sooner rather than later.
But as far as Porto are concerned, it’s a classic case of ‘release clause or nothing’.
Diaz has a £68 million release clause in his contract.
Unless Tottenham are willing to improve their initial offer by no less than £30 million, the twinkle-toed 25-year-old won’t be going anywhere.
“We know his qualities,” former Porto team-mate Sergio Oliveira, who was also linked with Tottenham before joining Jose Mourinho at Roma, says of Diaz (Italy 24).
“He is extraordinary on a technical level.”
What is ‘extraordinary’, however, is that Diaz came within a whisker of joining Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City back in 2017.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
