The Liverpool player set to be axed to make room for Luis Diaz in Premier League squad

Liverpool fans are still toasting the arrival of Luis Diaz.

The move for the Colombia international took almost every Kopite by pleasant surprise.

The January transfer window had anticipated being slow for the Reds. It usually has been since Jurgen Klopp took the helm.

Easing the burden

The Anfield boss' mantra is that he will only sign players if he would recruit them in the summer. He knows the perils of the winter window and the inflated prices that come with it.

So when Liverpool got wind that Tottenham were making inroads with Porto ahead of a swoop for Diaz, they knew they had to pounce.

The Reds hijacked the deal and will pay a fee of up to £50 million including add-ons for the winger. Not cheap by any means.

It's a serious investment from Liverpool and it's one for both now and the future.

No doubt supporters now are itching to get a glimpse of Diaz in a red shirt. Having scored 16 goals and created six for Porto so far this term, he adds cast-iron quality to Klopp's attacking options.

He'll help ease the burden on wing wizards Mo Salah and, in particular, Sadio Mane as Liverpool continue their assault on four fronts.

The Reds still haven't given up on chasing down Premier League leaders Manchester City and were given a glimmer of hope after closing the gap to nine points and have a game in hand.

Diaz will need to be registered in Liverpool's 25-man Premier League squad in the bid to claw back City.

Karius set for axe

And it means one player from that squad will face the axe.

When the Reds last registered their squad in September, they were already at their limit of 17 players who are not classed as homegrown.

As per Premier League rules, a home-grown player "means a player who, irrespective of nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to The Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21)."

As a result, Lorius Karius looks highly likely to be axed in favour of Diaz.

The keeper hasn't played for Liverpool since his disastrous performance in the 2018 Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid.

Karius made two high-profile errors in the 3-1 loss in Kiev.

After spells on loan at Besiktas and Union Berlin, the German is surplus to requirements at Anfield.

Both parties had hoped he would depart before the January transfer window closes, with Karius' contract expiring in the summer.

With Liverpool already having Alisson Becker, Caoimhin Kelleher and Adrian as registered keepers - all of who at non-home-grown players - Karius is set to slide even further into Reds exile ahead of an inevitable summer departure.

With the exit of Nat Phillips to Bournemouth, Liverpool will only have 23 players registered.

However, youngsters such as Curtis Jones Harvey Elliott, Rhys Williams and Tyler Morton do not count as they were all born after 1 January 2000.