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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Mark Jones

Liverpool's reasons for Luis Diaz transfer move clear as Reds hijack Tottenham deal

Jurgen Klopp has already had a good look at Luis Diaz, and now he seems set for an even closer one.

Friday morning's news that the Reds had dramatically jumped to the head of the queue to sign the Colombian winger came after it had appeared that Tottenham were closing in on a move for the 25-year-old, but a deal that could be worth up to £50million with add-ons is now imminent.

And it is clear to see why the Reds were so determined to get their man.

Diaz troubled Liverpool in the Champions League clash at Anfield in November, when his raids in from the left flank gave Neco Williams one of the tougher nights he's had in a red shirt.

Diaz is set to move to Liverpool (Getty Images)

It wasn't quite up there with the now infamous performance that Takumi Minamino gave for Red Bull Sazburg at Anfield back in 2019, but Diaz was the talk of first half in particular as he came close to scoring and would have had an assist were it not for poor finishing from his teammates.

And while fans were impressed with what they saw, playing at Anfield that night would perhaps have left a mark on Diaz himself too.

The likes of Alisson - who once conceded five goals there for Roma - and Mohamed Salah have both spoken in the past about the Anfield factor as an opposing player, and with Diaz seemingly holding out for a Liverpool move in his talks with Tottenham, it seems as though the Colombian had decided where he wanted his future to lie.

Liverpool looks to be the right environment for him to thrive too, based on both past experiences and the current setup.

The Colombian would be surrounded by several fellow South Americans at Anfield, as well as Spanish speakers Thiago and Adrian, and someone who knows Porto well in Diogo Jota.

Perhaps the most important figure would be Vitor Matos though, with the Portuguese appointed as Elite Development Coach in 2019 and tasked with helping younger players settle at club.

Diaz may be 25, but with a cultural similarity to draw upon then he would surely benefit from the guidance of Matos.

Diaz impressed against Liverpool in the Champions League (Getty Images)

He is clearly highly regarded by his future teammates too, with Alisson heaping praise on him before a recent clash between Brazil and Colombia.

"Luis Diaz is an excellent player, he does a lot of work for the defence, he did it in the goals of Copa America," he said of the 2021 Copa America's joint-top scorer.

"In Porto he comes with good performances, and here our task is to see Colombia as a whole and to worry about how we should destroy it."

The elephant in the room is now of course the impact on the futures of Salah and Sadio Mane, but regardless of their contract situations both are nearly 30, it makes sense to plan ahead.

Liverpool's reasons for the Diaz move look sound, and he seems set for a good career at Anfield.

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