Liverpool are closing in on the signing of exciting winger Luis Diaz from FC Porto.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Portuguese club have received an official bid of €40 million + €25 million in bonuses and the proposed deal is now entering the final stages.

Diaz is set to undergo a medical out in South America, as he's currently on international duty with Colombia for their latest 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

If the deal does go through, which now looks very likely indeed, Liverpool will have pulled off arguably the best deal of the January transfer window.

Over the past couple of years, Diaz has evolved into one of the most exciting wide forwards in world football.

The skilful 25-year-old is blessed with searing pace and is capable of both scoring and assisting goals on a regular basis.

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But surely Diaz would have to make do with a place on the bench at Anfield for a while due to the presence of Sadio Mane on the left wing, right?

Well, that may not prove to be the case.

Using WhoScored's player comparison tool, we've pitted Diaz and Mane against each other in terms of their output in league action this season and the results are rather surprising.

In pretty much every single key metric, Diaz is victorious.

Diaz in action with Porto

Despite playing less minutes, the Colombian has scored more far more goals and contributed more assists in 2021/22.

He's also averaging more dribbles, passes, key passes, long balls, through balls and shots per game, while also having fewer bad controls, offsides and dispossessions per outing.

Take a look at the evidence below...

Luis Diaz vs Sadio Mane in 2021/22

SUMMARY

Image 1

ATTACKING

Image 2

PASSING

Image 3

Diaz is utterly dominant. The only column in which Mane is in the green - aside from having made more appearances and played more minutes - is in terms of crosses per game. Apart from that, he's firmly second best.

Whisper it quietly, but the Senegalese superstar may be fighting for a starting role in Jurgen Klopp's XI if the deal for Diaz is completed before the deadline next Monday.

However, there's still no getting away from the fact that Mane is a truly world-class player and it will likely take more than stats another player produced in the Portuguese top-flight to oust him from the team.

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What is certain, though, is that Diaz's arrival would make Liverpool's forward options for the rest of the season scarily good.

Picking a front three from the Colombian, Mane, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino doesn't sound bad, does it?