Liverpool are set to sell Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich after agreeing a £65.5m deal with the German champions.
Diaz has been an important figure for the Reds since his arrival in 2022, but had seemingly decided he wanted a fresh challenge.
Barcelona tried to approach Diaz to make a last-minute play to sign him, but ultimately, Bayern are set to win the day.
The move ends three-and-a-half years in which Diaz made a real mark at Anfield. The Colombian leaves a Premier League title winner and with one of the catchiest songs the Kop has ever created.
Diaz’s trickery, skills and never-say-die attitude is what made him a hero amongst Liverpool fans, but it’s also for his personality which the 28-year-old became loved.
Having signed him from Porto in January 2022, former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp immediately noticed that Diaz had something unique about him.
Jurgen Klopp noticed that Luis Diaz would not stop smiling
What was immediately clear about Diaz upon his arrival from Portugal was that he barely spoke any English at all.
In fact, during his more than three year stay on Merseyside, it seems the 28-year-old’s language skills did not improve much at all.
Nevertheless, Diaz still found a way to connect with his new teammates, and speaking in a press conference after Liverpool beat Inter Milan in February 2022, Klopp claimed he had never seen a player smile more than the Colombia international during training.
“He’s a top boy, a top-class player,” raved the former Liverpool manager. “He showed that already in two appearances he had for us now. The last game he didn’t come on. Like it is for a new player, you have to get used to different things in the team.”
READ MORE: When Luis Diaz will undergo Bayern Munich medical and complete £65m transfer from Liverpool
“We have all other players fit so they know exactly what I want from them. We give Luis a little bit more time to adapt to it, but he is an incredible player. His joy and love for football is so obvious.
“When you see him training, he cannot stop smiling,” Klopp laughed. “I’ve never had a player like this, it’s crazy. We are so, so happy to have him here, it’s absolutely great.
“We expect a lot from him in the future; now already but in the future as well. I have a good feeling it will be a really nice story with Luis at Liverpool.”
Klopp made top prediction about Diaz
Klopp was absolutely right: Diaz’s story at Liverpool was indeed an incredibly nice one.
The former Porto man may not have ever quite hit the heights of his predecessor Sadio Mane, but he will still go down as a key cog in a team which won multiple trophies.
He departs Anfield having won the Premier League, an FA Cup and two Carabao Cups. His contribution to each success was immense.
Under both Klopp and Slot, Diaz really did continue smiling at Liverpool. He gave it his all right up until the end, even going on tour with the squad to Japan despite a move being imminent.
He will be missed around the club, but his story will continue on at Bayern.
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