New Liverpool winger Luis Diaz was on the brink of a move to Spurs before his agent ‘vetoed’ the transfer, according to reports.
The Colombian joined the Reds on the penultimate day of the January transfer window, signing in a deal worth an initial £37.5million from Porto.
Diaz signed a long-term contract with the Reds, understood to run until 2027, after Porto accepted an offer which includes a potential extra £12.5million in add-ons.
Why Liverpool signed Diaz; Alli will be Everton ‘disaster’
The move is subject to obtaining international clearance and a work permit and, with the 25-year-old currently on international duty, he will not arrive on Merseyside until the end of this week at the earliest.
He joins Liverpool after scoring scored 41 goals in 125 games for Porto following his move to Europe from Colombia’s Junior FC in the summer of 2019.
However, The Athletic can now reveal that Spurs were extremely close to tying up a deal for Diaz before a hiccup put the whole deal off course.
It is claimed that Tottenham ‘had a signed agreement in place with Porto’ and that they had ‘terms also agreed with Diaz himself’.
But The Athletic claim the potential transfer took a turn while Diaz went off on international duty with Colombia. The report adds:
‘However, Diaz being away on international duty meant that the agreement wasn’t yet signed by the time it was essentially thought to have been vetoed by his Colombian agent.
‘The representative in question is said by sources to have objected when it became apparent that Jorge Mendes had the mandate from Porto to oversee the Tottenham move. Liverpool, who were not using Mendes as an intermediary, pounced and agreed a deal at more or less the same price. The Athletic has contacted the Colombian agent for comment.
‘Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who did everything he could to pull off the deal, was raging at the turn of events. Diaz had been enthusiastic at the prospect of joining Spurs, and some believe it would have been a better move for him given the stage of his career, but ultimately, he too was seduced by the prospect of Champions League football and working with Jurgen Klopp.’
Diaz was understood to have been the Anfield club’s prime summer target but they decided to make their move early to head off Spurs.
