Bayern sign Liverpool winger Diaz for £65.5m

After moving to Bundesliga champions Munich, Bayern for $65 million, Luis Diaz claims he “fulfilled his duty” at Liverpool.

To end his three-and-a-half-year spell at Anfield, the Colombia international has agreed to a four-year deal with the German club.

Due to future rumors, the 28-year-old was ruled out of Liverpool’s pre-season game against AC Milan on Saturday.

Liverpool accepted a follow-up offer of $ 65.5 million over the weekend and gave Diaz permission to undergo a medical at the club after rejecting Bayern’s initial offer of $ 58.6 million earlier this month.

The winger claims that if it weren’t for Diogo Jota’s passing earlier this month, his departure would have been the “perfect goodbye” for the Reds, who are currently Premier League champions after winning four pieces of significant silverware while playing for the club.

“I’ve met extraordinary fans, fantastic coworkers, and amazing people. I’ll cherish every player at Liverpool, because they are a special team.

It’s good to leave feeling satisfied and, most importantly, to be a champion. If we hadn’t let go of one of ours in such a tragic way, goodbye would have been perfect.

“I have a heart full of everyone, but Diogo is one of them. He will never be forgotten. He will never be forgotten. I appreciate everything.

In his first season at Anfield, Diaz scored 41 goals in 148 appearances before moving to Liverpool for an initial $ 37 million from Porto.

In his first season with the Reds, he won the FA Cup and the EFL Cup, and he played for the team that lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final in 2022.

With Liverpool winning the Premier League, Diaz scored 17 goals in all competitions during his most prolific campaign of his career last term.

Since the winger’s departure, Liverpool has so far this summer sold about £115 million worth of players.

That has offset the roughly 270 million dollars spent on Milos Kerkez, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, and Florian Wirtz.

Diaz has consistently had consistent dribbling ability and steadily rising goal threat since making his debut in January 2022. In addition to being second in the opposition box in terms of goals, goal involvements, and touches, he led the Reds during his time at the club in terms of dribbles won and completed fouls.

His shot conversion rate, which was 19% in all competitions last term, was comfortably his highest in a Liverpool shirt, so it is no accident. The winger was a false nine in 39% of his league games, which made him shoot from central areas more frequently. In November, when Diaz scored a hat-trick for Bayer Leverkusen with a 4-0 win, head coach Arne Slot threw Diaz in that role, and it worked well for the Merseysiders both in December and January.

Diaz is known for grafting for the team in addition to his immediate threat. Despite having a 5ft 10in (1.78m) frame that is only 5 feet 10 inches (1.78m) tall, he won possession in the final third of the Premier League 70 times, which is the second-most by a Liverpool player since his arrival.

His high-energy pressing helped the Reds set the tone last term when he was centrally used. However, club record signing Florian Wirtz, who – despite his attacking prowess – plays like a demon off the ball, could fill that role next season. In the past two Bundesliga seasons, the 22-year-old German has won possession of the final third 71 times, or 15 more than any other player.

Cody Gakpo appears to be the clear winner in filling the void Diaz leaves on the left. The Dutchman scored 18 goals last season, but he struggled to dribble through dense spaces.

Rio Ngumoha, who turns 17 in August, started the month’s friendlies against Preston, Stoke, and AC Milan, and may gain from Diaz’s departure, despite having only made one competitive appearance so far.