Hilal press Bayern over Luis Diaz as Saudi club prepare €37m-a-year offer

Al Hilal have intensified efforts to sign Bayern Munich winger Luis Diaz, with the Saudi Pro League champions reported to be ready to hand the Colombia international a salary in excess of €37m (£31m) per year if a deal can be struck.

The Riyadh club have renewed their push in recent hours to complete what would be one of the biggest transfers of the summer window, as they continue talks with Bayern over a permanent move for the 27-year-old.

Previous reports in Saudi Arabia have claimed Al Hilal are prepared to pay around $120m (£93m) to buy Diaz’s contract, a fee that would place the deal among the most expensive in the history of the Saudi Pro League, currently marketed as the Roshn Saudi League.

Bayern resist as Hilal set deadline

According to well-known Saudi journalist Abdulaziz Al-Muraiseul, Al Hilal’s negotiator is applying what he described as “strong pressure” on Bayern’s hierarchy in an attempt to persuade the German club to approve Diaz’s sale.

However, Bayern are said to be holding firm and want Diaz to remain in Munich. That stance has reportedly been reinforced by the Bundesliga side also rejecting the possibility of parting with France winger Michael Olise during the same window.

Al-Muraiseul added that Al Hilal have given Bayern a final deadline to consider their position, asking for a definitive response before the end of this week. The Saudi champions are keen to resolve what they view as their key foreign-winger vacancy before moving on to the remainder of their transfer business.

Huge personal terms lined up

In addition to the substantial transfer fee on the table, Al Hilal are understood to have assembled a lucrative personal package for Diaz in an attempt to tempt him to Saudi Arabia.

The Colombia international is expected to be offered an annual salary exceeding €37m, a figure that would place him among the highest-paid players in the Roshn Saudi League and make the Saudi proposal difficult to turn down if Bayern agree to enter full negotiations.

At this stage, the move hinges on Bayern’s willingness to sell. The German club have yet to make a final decision on Diaz’s future and, according to the same reports, have not given Al Hilal a clear indication that they are ready to negotiate his departure.

Inzaghi targets elite winger

Al Hilal consider Diaz one of their primary attacking targets for this summer’s window, as they look to strengthen ahead of the new campaign at home and in continental competition.

The club’s technical staff, led by Italian head coach Simone Inzaghi, are understood to have specifically requested the recruitment of a world-class player in the wide areas, with Diaz identified as a leading candidate to fill that role.

With Al Hilal’s proposal for both club and player already in place, the focus now rests on Bayern Munich’s response. The German champions have yet to clarify whether they will revise their stance, leaving the outcome of one of the most high-profile potential deals of the Saudi summer still unresolved.