Liverpool owners FSG now have £245m problem as Luis Diaz's agent confirms landmark deal
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With three Liverpool greats on course to leave the club for free next summer, the future of Luis Diaz – who is under contract until 2027 – is probably not top of Richard Hughes’ agenda at present.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, who laid on two assists in Liverpool’s breathless 3-3 draw at Newcastle United last night, is being courted by Real Madrid.
Mohamed Salah, the recipient of those two assists, is pushing for a new deal but is yet to receive a formal offer. Unsurprisingly given the Egyptian’s spellbinding recent performances, Paris Saint-Germain are keen.
Meanwhile, reports in the last 24 hours claim that Virgil van Dijk has now been presented with a contract proposal, with the skipper completing the trio of stars in fine form with six months left on their deals.
Alexander-Arnold holds the high card in negotiations and, if he does leave, it will not be because the owners have not tried everything to keep him.
Van Dijk and Salah’s situations are different.
To many supporters, the two players, who are 32 and 33 respectively, are victims of what you might call FSGism.
Fenway Sports Group are reluctant to commit financially to players – or ‘assets’, as owners call them – who they forecast are likely to depreciate in value.
In the world of sports business, this approach has earned FSG a near-peerless reputation. “No owners do more forensic analysis,” Liverpool University football finance lecturer Kieran Maguire told TBR Football.
To fans, however, that clinical philosophy of FSGism is completely alien.
To them, the prospect of losing three superstars worth of a place on Liverpool’s Mount Rushmore for free and in one fell swoop is simply unforgiveable.
Where does Luis Diaz, whose performances under Arne Slot have also been spectacular, fit into all of this?
The answer lies with the Colombian’s representatives.
Luis Diaz joins new super agency
For several years, Diaz has listed Raul Costa, who runs Nomi Sports, the agency that represents new Man United boss Ruben Amorim among other high-profile clients.
But Nomi Sports is now no more.
As reported by the Financial Times, the firm has merged with two other agencies – Position Number and Promoesport – to form a new super agency called As1.
A fourth intermediary group, Football Division Worldwide, are also expected to join the merger soon.
The landmark deal has been orchestrated by Bruin Capital and values the new entity at around £245m.
Diaz meanwhile is now just one part of a client list whose market values is estimated at approximately £580m.
The significance for Liverpool? The merger shows that agencies are now big business and more money than ever before, from the private investment market and beyond, is flowing into the sector.
The big brains within football finance are all forecasting a ground swell in the agency business that will likely lead to the likes of Liverpool splashing out far more on intermediaries than they have in the past.
Therefore Diaz, who Colombian media report rejected a low-ball contract offer from Liverpool in recent weeks, could choose to bide his time in order to maximise the value of his next contract.
For FSG, the rise of super agencies with better resources, brain power and – perhaps most significantly – collective bargaining levers will be costly.
How much do Liverpool spend on agents?
Agents’ fees are among the most misunderstood elements of football transfers, with blockbuster deals often seeing several intermediaries paid for different services on a huge scale.
This matters. After all, agents’ fees go towards Liverpool’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) calculation.
Fortunately for the curious football fan, the FA publish a complete list of the sums Premier League clubs spend on agents annually.
In 2023-24, when Liverpool spent over £150m on new signing , they were among the biggest spenders on agents in the Premier League.
Club Net Total Paid to Agents/Intermediaries (£) AFC Bournemouth 15,999,925 Arsenal 24,760,875 Aston Villa 21,160,122 Brentford 8,147,957 Brighton & Hove Albion 11,393,102 Burnley 6,944,589 Chelsea 75,140,524 Crystal Palace 11,082,430 Everton 10,623,224 Fulham 12,062,906 Liverpool 31,500,211 Luton Town 2,020,146 Manchester City 60,626,025 Manchester United 34,054,001 Newcastle United 18,881,923 Nottingham Forest 13,063,455 Sheffield United 5,127,509 Tottenham Hotspur 19,731,099 West Ham United 13,880,365 Wolverhampton Wanderers 13,392,541 Total 409,592,929
Liverpool’s spending on agents was utterly dwarfed by Man City and Chelsea, however, who booked payouts of £61m and £75m respectively.
FSG are hard-nosed businesspeople meanwhile and their smarts in the sports finance ecosystem means they are rarely held over a barrel when it comes to agents.
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