Chiesa Excluded From Liverpool's Pre-Season Tour While Diaz Travels Despite Transfer Links

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Liverpool's pre-season tour to Hong Kong and Japan will proceed without Federico Chiesa, who has been left out of the squad. Despite being linked with a transfer, Luis Diaz will join the team on this trip. Chiesa, who joined Liverpool from Juventus last year, struggled for playing time under Arne Slot as the team clinched the Premier League title.

Chiesa's involvement in the league was minimal, making only six appearances that totalled 104 minutes. His first start came late in the season during a 3-2 defeat to Brighton. Speculation about his return to Serie A has been rife, with clubs like Inter, Milan, and Roma reportedly interested. Although not part of the 29-player squad heading to Asia, reports suggest a minor fitness issue kept him at home.

Despite not playing against Stoke City in a recent friendly, Diaz is included in Liverpool's pre-season tour squad. The Colombian international has been linked with Bayern Munich but remains valued by Liverpool at nearly £100 million (€86.6 million). Reports indicate that Liverpool turned down a £67.5 million (€58.4 million) offer from the Bundesliga club.

Diaz played a crucial role last season, appearing in 36 of Liverpool's 38 Premier League matches and starting 28 of them. He scored 13 goals and provided five assists, second only to Mohamed Salah's 29 goals for the Reds.

New signings Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong are set to participate in the pre-season tour. Meanwhile, Liverpool is actively pursuing Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt as they look to strengthen their squad further.

In a behind-closed-doors friendly against Stoke City at Kirkby training ground on Sunday, Chiesa scored as Liverpool won 5-0. Darwin Nunez also impressed by scoring a hat-trick within just 15 minutes. Additionally, promising young winger Rio Ngumoha found the net during this match.

Nunez is another player linked with a move away from Anfield; Napoli has shown interest in him. However, he will be part of the squad travelling to Asia for pre-season preparations.