David Moyes has claimed West Ham were closing in on Luis Diaz in January before Liverpool hi-jacked the deal.
Liverpool’s January capture of Luis Diaz appears to be another masterstroke from Jurgen Klopp, as the Merseyside giants continue their smart policy in the transfer market. The Colombian forward has enjoyed an excellent start to his Premier League career, notably bagging his maiden goal in the win over Norwich City before starring in the 6-0 rout of Leeds United.
Klopp was quick to hail Diaz’s performance against Norwich, and it appears the former FC Porto starlet is becoming a fan favourite at Anfield less than a month after joining the club.
However, Liverpool may have easily missed out on the services of Luis Diaz in January as West Ham were in advanced talks with the attacker, as revealed by David Moyes.
As reported by Goal, the West Ham manager has shed light on his pursuit of the Colombian, claiming he had personally contacted the player over a January move. The two parties were even in advanced talks before Liverpool swooped in at the last minute.
“I spoke to Luis Diaz on the phone and we were quite far down the line,” said Moyes, who was keen on adding attacking reinforcements last month in light of the club’s overreliance on Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen. “My understanding was Liverpool were not going to come in for him until the summer. So we tried to get him in January.
“I don’t know if us trying to get him in January affected Liverpool’s decision, but he’s a really good player and we didn’t get him.”
In addition to West Ham, Tottenham were another club reportedly keen on getting their hands on the FC Porto attacker. But the player ended up joining Liverpool in a €60 million deal that is turning out to be a major coup for the Reds, as they look to build the core of the future attack – one without seasoned superstars such as Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
After a couple of excellent performances, Luis Diaz will be hoping to continue his blistering form when Liverpool take on Chelsea in the final of the Carabao Cup on Sunday.
