Report: £37m Liverpool player could be in Jurgen Klopp's team to face Lyon in first Dubai friendly now

By Ben Evans

Liverpool have arrived in Dubai as they prepare for Premier League football to finally return.

The World Cup will be drawing to a close soon, and domestic action can once again restart.

A report from Goal.com has previewed the Reds time in the Middle East.

Jurgen Klopp has brought a large squad with him as they step up their preparations.

A total of 33 players have travelled to Dubai, including a number of stars recovering from injury.

Diogo Jota is continuing his rehab alongside his teammates, but won’t be involved for some time.

A report from The Athletic suggests he won’t be seen again until at February.

Joel Matip also missed a number of games before the World Cup, and Klopp will be hoping he’s ready to jump into action soon.

Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are both still in Qatar, and may need a rest before returning to league action.

Klopp looks set to be boosted by the return of one of his first-team stars in Dubai.

Goal now report that winger Luis Diaz could play a part in their friendly against Lyon on Sunday.

Diaz could play against Lyon

Diaz has been unavailable for Liverpool since suffering a knee injury against Arsenal at the start of October.

The £37m forward has been brilliant since arriving from FC Porto in January.

His seven goal involvements in 13 Premier League matches last season showed his potential.

He’d already matched that number in all competitions before being ruled out for several months.

The left-winger has been backed to replace Sadio Mane after his move to Bayern Munich, which is a very tall task.

The dynamic winger loves beating a man and bursting into the box, and it will be interesting to see how he combines with Darwin Nunez.

Klopp will be pleased that Diaz could be fit enough to play against Lyon, however, he’ll be wary of rushing him back.

Even when out of action, Diaz has been attracting attention.

A report from Defensa Central suggest Diaz is keen to join Real Madrid one day.

Given what happened in the Champions League final last season, it’s safe to say that wouldn’t be a popular move at Anfield.