Jurgen Klopp has revealed the moment he knew he had to sign Luis Diaz.
The Colombia international completed a transfer to Liverpool from Porto potentially worth £50m on Sunday, when he signed a five and a half year contract that runs until the summer of 2027, on a day when they also made a bid for exciting Fulham youngster Fabio Carvalho.
And after landing one of the rising stars of world football in a surprise late transfer window swoop, the Reds boss explained that he got a close-up view of the forward earlier in the season…and knew he was perfect for Anfield.
“He is an outstanding player and someone we’ve been tracking for a very long time,” the manager explained.
“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.
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“I could not be happier that we’ve been able to get this deal done and bring Luis to Liverpool, and 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.”
Liverpool acted decisively as the deadline approached, stealing in to snatch Diaz even as he was in advanced talks to join Spurs, with Manchester United also interested.
It has been suggested that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was unhappy with the way Liverpool hijacked his deal, with the Reds said to have offered an immediate down payment to Porto, to ease their financial problems.
They will pay £37.5m down for the 25-year-old, with another £12.5m of achievable performance-related add-ons. And the spending may not stop there in January.
The Reds have bid £5m for 19-year-old England U18 international Carvalho, but Fulham are reluctant to do a deal, because of a fractious relationship with the Reds after they snatched Harvey Elliott.
But his contract is up in the summer, and Liverpool are prepared to wait until then when they will only have to pay a training compensation fee to the London club, though Dortmund’s interest in the player makes that plan trickier.
There were no such problems with Diaz, with Klopp insisting they have signed a huge talent. “We believe he has everything needed to fit into our way,” he said.
“Luis is a player we believe will make us better now and in the future. He is the player we really wanted and so I am very happy.
“He has everything (required) to 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 always has the goal in mind.”
