Luis Diaz’s father has confirmed that Tottenham Hotspur wanted to sign the former Porto winger before Premier League rivals Liverpool pipped Antonio Conte to a £37 million January deal, speaking to via Marca.
Nine years ago, Chelsea snatched Willian from Daniel Levy’s clutches, just days after the Brazil international had undergone a medical in North London.
And while Diaz didn’t come quite that close to signing on the dotted line, Tottenham were still left feeling rather nauseous as another exciting South American forward slipped through their fingers at the eleventh hour.
Diaz was expected to become Antonio Conte’s first marquee signing as Spurs boss. That was until Liverpool came steaming in, completing an initial £37 million deal in the blink of an eye.
Sometimes, Mr Levy, the hare beats the tortoise.
“Tottenham was one (of the clubs who wanted him),” says Luis Manuel Diaz, the Colombian’s father.
“They got very scared and let themselves be caught by Liverpool. Liverpool were faster than (Spurs). They needed him and they took him away.”
Will Tottenham regret missing out on Luis Diaz?
Diaz Sr admits that Roma, coached by former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho, also expressed an interest in a player who scored 14 goals in 18 games during the first half of this season, maintaining the form that saw him finish as the joint-top scorer at last summer’s Copa America.
“There were many suitors who wanted Luis’ services,” the father adds. “But he had the dream of reaching Liverpool. Because Liverpool is an elite team.
“After his first game, he told me that it was a team that works hard, is complete, in which he will feel comfortable and will have the chance to play with high-performance players.”
Diaz marked his Liverpool debut with an eye-catching assist on Sunday afternoon, setting up Takumi Minamino’s goal in the 3-1 FA Cup victory over Cardiff City with some quick thinking and even quicker feet.
Interestingly, Diaz was actually a target for Cardiff in 2019. The Bluebirds made a £7 million bid with the forward’s agent confirming interest from Neil Warnock’s side.
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