Liverpool have completed the signing of Colombian winger Luis Diaz from FC Porto in Portugal on Sunday, a day before the January transfer window deadline day.
The Reds hijacked the signing from Tottenham Hotspur, who first made the approach to sign the winger from Porto earlier in January. Up until the signing was announced, Tottenham Hotspur looked to be in pole position for the winger’s signing, but Liverpool swooped in with a £50 million bid for a player who Jurgen Klopp rates very highly.
The Colombia international is currently away in Argentina with Colombia for their World Cup qualifier game against Argentina. He had his medical done in Argentina and also signed his contract as the club raced against time to register him for the rest of the season.
Diaz, 25, signed a five-and-a-half year contract with Liverpool in the standout deal of the winter window in Europe. He will move to Anfield immediately after the international break is done and will resume active duty with the Reds, as they chase Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
Liverpool statement on Diaz signing
Liverpool released a statement after his signing on his website which reads: “Liverpool Football Club have completed the signing of Luis Diaz from FC Porto, subject to the successful granting of a work permit and international clearance.
“The 25-year-old has signed a long-term contract with the Reds after passing a medical and finalising personal terms.
“Diaz will arrive on Merseyside once he has completed international duty with Colombia, who face Argentina in a World Cup qualifier in Cordoba on Tuesday evening.
“He joins Liverpool after two-and-a-half seasons with FC Porto, where he made 125 appearances and scored 41 goals, and will wear the No.23 shirt.
“The forward faced the Reds twice in this season’s Champions League group stage with the Portuguese side and had netted 14 times in 18 league runouts this term.
“He had previously represented Barranquilla FC and Junior FC in his homeland before making the switch to Europe in 2019.
“To date, Diaz has 31 caps for Colombia, with seven goals for his country.”
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been a big fan of the Colombian and reportedly asked the board to sign him in the summer. Spurs boss Antonio Conte is also a fan of the forward and had hoped to sign the 25-year-old in the January window.
Conte and Diaz’s agents held talks over his move which were reported to be positive, but Liverpool jumped in at the last minute to hijack the deal and secure the player who their boss had always wanted.
Klopp: I could not be happier to have signed Diaz
Klopp spoke to Liverpool’s official website after Diaz’s signing was announced. “I could not be happier that we’ve been able to get this deal done and bring Luis to Liverpool,” he said.
“I have always been a believer in only signing players in January if you would want to sign them in the summer, and that’s very much the case with Luis.
“He is an outstanding player and someone we’ve been tracking for a very long time.
“We believe he has everything needed to fit into our way and adapt to the Premier League, both physically and mentally. He is a player who is hungry for success and knows you have to fight to get what you want. He is a fighter, no doubt. He’s a skilful team player who has always the goal in mind.
“This team deserved to add quality and when we played against Luis earlier this season, we saw what a danger he is, how fast he is and how his mentality was to help his team.
“I also must make clear my appreciation to our ownership and football operations team for how they have managed to act so decisively to get this done.
“Luis is a player we believe will make us better now and in the future. He is the player we really wanted and they’ve made it happen, so I am very happy.”
Diaz was the joint-top scorer at last year’s Copa America and has scored 14 goals in 18 Portuguese Primeira Liga matches for Porto this season.
