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Luis Diaz's desire to leave Liverpool increased after it became clear that he wouldn't be getting a new contract with the club. Diaz's $88 million move to Bayern Munich was confirmed earlier today, three and a half years on from his arrival at Anfield from Porto.
Throughout his time at Liverpool, Diaz remained on the same terms that he signed upon joining the club in January 2022, and he felt as though his performances were deserving of an improved deal.
At 28 years old and with two years remaining on his contract at Liverpool, Diaz felt that his value would never be higher than it is now.
At Liverpool, Diaz was underpaid relative to his standing in the squad, with the likes of Federico Chiesa and Darwin Nunez both on higher salaries than the Colombia international.
Diaz will reportedly earn a gross salary in excess of $16 million per year at Bayern, which represents a huge increase on the player's Liverpool salary.
The Athletic reports that Diaz first wanted to leave Liverpool in 2024, with his ambition to depart "hardening" this year when it became clear that Liverpool was not willing to pay him what he would have wanted in order to sign a new deal.
As for Bayern — the German club's interest in Diaz emerged after it failed to sign Florian Wirtz, who was the club's first-choice summer target.
Wirtz's move to Liverpool, combined with Leroy Sane's departure, left Bayern in need of an attacking addition. Nico Williams of Athletic Club, Bradley Barcola of PSG, and Jamie Gittens — who joined Chelsea earlier in the window — were all on Bayern's radar but did not move for one reason or another.
Ultimately, Diaz ended up as Bayern's main attacking target for the summer, and there will be plenty of pressure on him to deliver in Bavaria next season.
Diaz bade farewell to Liverpool with an Instagram post on Wednesday, writing: "Three years and a half that I’ll treasure forever. I arrived with all the dreams in the world, and I am leaving proud of everything we achieved together.
"I have met incredible people, fabulous colleagues, coaches who helped me a lot, and extraordinary fans. Liverpool is, indeed, a special team, and I will keep everyone in my heart. The cycle ends here, and it is so gratifying to look back and realize how happy we were.
"Not only because of the trophies we won, but for the union and friendship that made it all possible. There were ups and downs, as there always are, but there was always truth.
"As it should be in a family. It’s good to be leaving with the feeling of a duty fulfilled, and, most of all, to be leaving a champion. It would have been the perfect goodbye if we hadn’t lost one of ours in such a tragic way.
"As I said, and I repeat, I carry everyone with me in my heart, but one of them in particular: Diogo. I will never forget him. We will never forget him. Thank you for everything. YNWA."
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