Barcelona president confirms summer transfer plans amid interest in Liverpool star Luis Diaz

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed the Catalans are in the market for a new winger this summer as they continue to be linked with Liverpool star Luis Diaz.

The Colombian recently insisted that he is happy with the Reds, but that has done nothing to slow down speculation linking the boyhood Barcelona fan with a move to Camp Nou.

Currently away with Colombia at Copa America, the 27-year-old’s future won’t be resolved one way or the other until after the conclusion of his participation in the tournament.

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Barcelona have struggled financially since signing Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool in a record £142m transfer back in January 2018, with it debatable whether they could afford Diaz without selling players to raise funds first.

But Laporta has insisted that the Catalans aren’t in a position where they need to buy. And while he also revealed he doesn’t believe Barcelona to make many transfers this summer, he did concede that, along with retaining the services of loanees Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, a new winger was also on their wishlist.

"(Hansi) Flick feels capable of competing with this squad," he told the club’s in-house television channel, quoted by ESPN, earlier this month when addressing the German’s appointment and their transfer plans. "That was decisive.

"We want the two Joaos to continue. The idea is that they are here for another year. Deco is working on it. Flick rates them highly and when he was at Bayern he was interested in signing Felix.

"We will study what [else] is needed with Flick. Maybe we need to strengthen in defensive midfield. [Andreas] Christensen has helped us there, but we have to add another player.

"We also think there are players in the B team, like [midfielder] Marc Casado, who has had an extraordinary season. But we don't talk about players, just about positions.

"Just as we don't need a big transfer out, we don't believe we need big signings. Maybe a midfielder, a winger, but we also have an academy which can help fill these positions.

"We can compete in Europe with a squad based on the academy. That's what Flick has conveyed to us and what we think. We have a squad that can compete in Spain and Europe with the chance of success."