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Bundesliga champion Bayern Munich has unveiled Luis Diaz as a new signing in Germany, with Liverpool set to pocket up to $88 million (£66 million) for the Colombian.
Diaz joined the Reds in January 2022 and went on to score 41 goals for the club, helping to win the Premier League title under Arne Slot. But he had made it clear that he wanted to move, with Liverpool getting a good deal for a 28-year-old forward who had two years left to run on his contract.
After Bayern Munich missed out on signing Florian Wirtz and Nico Williams, it turned its attention to Diaz. Barcelona, at one stage, also held an interest, but a move to Spain never felt financially viable for the La Liga side.
Liverpool made two attempts to extend Diaz's contract, but the player initially expressed a desire to explore his options last summer when there was rumored interest from Manchester City.
The deal that has been agreed means that Liverpool has made a profit of around $30 million (£23 million) on what it paid to sign Diaz from FC Porto three and a half years ago.
"In Lucho’s situation, it was, yeah," Slot admitted on Saturday when he was asked if the South American had been left out of the game with AC Milan because of speculation about his future.
Diaz exited the Liverpool training camp in Japan on Monday, landing in Munich on Tuesday for his medical examinations. He had already said his goodbyes to the teammates that he left behind and later signed the necessary documents to complete the switch.
Pressed on whether he had spoken to Diaz about a potential exit to Bayern Munich, Slot added: "I’m used to talking to most of my players on a regular basis.
"Like I said, Lucho is training really well and we’ve decided that he’s not playing at the moment in the games. I cannot comment much more about that."
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Liverpool confirmed the signing of French forward Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt last week. The Reds also hold an interest in Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak.
Ekitike could make his debut against Yokohama Marinos on Wednesday. The new Premier League season kicks off with Liverpool hosting Bournemouth at Anfield on August 15.
Liverpool.com says: It is a shame for Diaz to be moving on, but Liverpool has got a good deal. Given the player's age and contract situation, to get such a big fee is impressive.
As for replacing Diaz, it will be interesting to see what comes next. Ekitike can play wide and has done so in the past, but moving Wirtz out of the center of the field would be unwise. Rio Ngumoha has looked good this summer, but is still only 16.
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