Tottenham could have signed Luis Diaz but his father claims hesitation allowed 'elite' rivals Liverpool to come in – now linked with Manchester City
It could have been very different for Luis Díaz and Liverpool.
In January 2022, Colombia and Porto star Diaz was on the market for around £40m and with 14 goals in 18 Primeira Liga games, the winger was attracting interest from top clubs across Europe.
Diaz still had more than two years left on his contract but a £66m release clause meant he was available.
Tottenham They were willing to pay £46m and their initial offer of £37.6m was rejected by the Portuguese club.
Spurs had just three days left in the winter window to complete the deal, and Liverpool read the urgency of the situation.
The Reds have been long-time admirers of Diaz and manager Jürgen Klopp had already identified the striker as his top target for the summer.
While Tottenham were reluctant, Liverpool acted quickly and decisively.
The Reds hijacked the movement offering a deal that could reach £50m, including an initial payment of £37.5m plus another £12.5m in potential bonuses.
Spurs were beaten, although they insisted that Diaz's desire to join Liverpool meant there was nothing that could be done.
The Reds did not outbid their rivals financially and the total value of the bids was similar.
However, the Colombian's father told a slightly different story on how his son ended up signing for Liverpool instead of Tottenham.
“Tottenham were one. Roma also fell behind in the process. They hesitated a lot and got caught up in Liverpool,” Díaz Sr. told BluRadio's Sports Blog in February 2022, shortly after his move to the north-west of England instead of north London.
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“Liverpool were faster than them, they needed it and they took it.
“There were many suitors who wanted Luis' services, but he had the dream of joining Liverpool. Because Liverpool is an elite team.
“After the first match he told me that it is a team that works hard, is complete, where he will feel comfortable and will have the opportunity to play with high-performance players.”
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Díaz rubbed salt into Tottenham's wounds with an electric start at Anfield.
The 27-year-old has injected incredible energy into Klopp's side and adapted to the Premier League instantly.
In the remaining 13 games of the 2021/22 season, Díaz recorded four goals and three assists, leading a run that saw Liverpool win their final six games and miss out on the title by one point.
Injuries plagued him the following season, where Díaz played less than half of the 2022/23 campaign.
Following the departure of Sadio Mane, Diaz was sorely missed and the Reds finished in fifth place.
But perhaps his absence was felt most acutely in north London, where Tottenham finished eighth.
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In the summer of 2022, Spurs used much of Diaz's money to sign Richarlison from Everton in a deal worth up to £60m.
The Brazilian managed just one Premier League goal in his debut season with Spurs.
A year later, Tottenham acted quickly to… win the race for Maddison fend off Newcastle and close the deal quickly.
Last season was a memorable one for Diaz, however, as his mind was understandably elsewhere when his father was kidnapped in his native Colombia.
He was released in mid-November after being detained for 12 days.
The player has arrived in good form for the new season under coach Arne Slot. He scored twice in the 4-1 win over Sevilla and has even been linked with a move to Manchester City, something the club has denied.
He has also been linked with Barcelona, PSG and clubs in Saudi Arabia.
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