Things could have turned out very differently for Luis Diaz and Liverpool.
In January 2022, Porto’s Colombian star Diaz was on the market for around £40 million and with 14 goals in 18 Primeira Liga games, the winger attracted interest from top clubs across Europe.
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Diaz had more than two years left on his contract – but a £66m release clause meant he was available.
Tottenham were willing to pay £46 million, their opening offer of £37.6 million was rejected by the Portuguese club.
Spurs had just three days left in the winter transfer window to complete the deal – and Liverpool were aware of the urgency of the situation.
The Reds have long been admirers of Diaz and coach Jürgen Klopp had already identified the striker as his main target for the summer.
While Tottenham hesitated, Liverpool acted quickly and decisively.
The Reds took advantage of the move by offering a deal that could be worth up to £50 million, including an upfront payment of £37.5 million plus a further £12.5 million in potential bonuses.
Spurs lost but insisted that there was nothing they could do due to Diaz’s desire to join Liverpool.
The Reds were not financially superior to their competitors and the total bid size was similar.
However, the Colombian’s father told a slightly different story about how his son ultimately moved to Liverpool rather than Tottenham.
“Tottenham was one of them. Roma also lagged behind. They hesitated for a long time and let Liverpool catch up with them,” Diaz Sr. told BluRadio’s blog Deportivo in February 2022, shortly after his move to the northwest of England instead of north London.
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“Liverpool were quicker than them, they needed him and they took him away from them.
“There were many interested parties who wanted Luis’ services, but his dream was to come to Liverpool. Because Liverpool is an elite team.”
“After the first game, he told me that it was a hard-working, complete team where he would feel comfortable and have the chance to play with high-performance players.”
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Diaz rubbed salt into Tottenham’s wounds by making an electrifying start at Anfield.
The 27-year-old brought incredible energy to Klopp’s team and immediately adapted to the Premier League.
In the 13 remaining games of the 2021/22 season, Diaz scored four goals and provided three assists, starring in a run that saw Liverpool win their last six games and miss out on the title by one point.
The following season, he was plagued by injuries, with Diaz playing less than half of the 2022/23 season.
After the departure of Sadio Mane, Diaz was sorely missed and the Reds dragged themselves to fifth place.
But perhaps his absence was even more felt in north London, where Tottenham finished eighth.
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In the summer of 2022, Spurs used much of the Diaz money to sign Richarlison from Everton in a deal worth up to £60 million.
The Brazilian only managed one goal in the Premier League in his debut season with Spurs.
A year later, Tottenham acted quickly to win the race for Maddison, fending off Newcastle and completing the deal early.
Last season, however, was one to forget for Diaz, as his mind was understandably elsewhere due to the kidnapping of his father in his home country of Colombia.
He was released in mid-November after 12 days in custody.
Now the player has started the new season in good form under coach Arne Slot. He scored two goals in the 4-1 win against Sevilla and was even linked with Manchester City, although the club denied this.
Barcelona, PSG and clubs in Saudi Arabia have also been linked.
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