Luis Diaz transfer bombshell made by Bayern Munich chief after Florian Wirtz blow

Bayern Munich director Max Eberl has admitted the Bavarians could not have signed Luis Diaz if Florian Wirtz had not rejected their advances and chosen Liverpool instead

Luis Diaz joined Bayern Munich last summer(Image: Getty Images)

Bayern Munich's director of sport, Max Eberl, has conceded that the Bavarians would not have been able to secure Luis Diaz if Florian Wirtz hadn't turned them down.

The Bundesliga team seemed poised to sign the German midfielder. However, the 22-year-old spurned Bayern in favor of a persuasive pitch from Liverpool, signing a deal potentially worth up to £116 million ($155.5 million) from Bayer Leverkusen.

Bayern subsequently shifted its focus to Diaz, securing the Colombian forward who was keen to leave the Reds in a deal potentially worth up to £65.5 million ($87.8 million). Diaz had expressed his desire to depart Liverpool after failing to negotiate an improved contract with the Premier League team.

Diaz has had a remarkable first half-season with Bayern, contributing 14 goals and 11 assists in his initial 25 appearances for the club.

Moreover, he has only experienced one defeat during his tenure with the Bavarians, who currently hold an 11-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga table and are second in the Champions League league phase.

In contrast, Wirtz has netted four goals and provided five assists in 28 appearances for the Reds, hitting his stride in recent weeks.

Florian Wirtz inherited Diaz's No. 7 shirt at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

However, despite the German star's best efforts, Liverpool has struggled.

Despite the Reds remaining unbeaten in their last 12 matches, they've drawn their last four Premier League games.

This follows a disappointing run of nine defeats in 12 games during the Autumn, which severely dented their Premier League title defence.

While Eberl has been thrilled with Diaz's performance since his transfer to Bayern, he dismissed the notion that he was pleased Wirtz's rejection paved the way for the German club to sign the forward from Liverpool instead.

"Honestly, that's not true, because we would also have been very happy if Florian Wirtz had chosen to sign for Bayern," he insisted to Bild.

"He didn't do it and preferred the Premier League instead.

"But we are very, very happy that we made another very good decision by signing Lucho.

"The two of them together wouldn't have been possible. As I said, we're not exactly... printing money either."