Liverpool boss Arne Slot breaks silence on £65.5m Luis Diaz transfer exit
Luis Diaz completed a transfer to Bayern Munich from Liverpool after a summer of speculation over his future and Reds boss Arne Slot has now offered his verdict on the move
Arne Slot believes Liverpool have conducted 'great business' in making on profit by selling Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich. The Colombia international completed a £65.5million to the Bundesliga giants and signed a deal until 2029 at the Allianz Arena.
Diaz, 28, was declared not for sale by the Reds earlier in the window but the club were ultimately swayed to part ways with their star. The winger played a significant role in Liverpool's title win under Slot but was persistently linked with a move away from the club despite being under contract for another two years.
The transfer saw Diaz bring a three-and-a-half-year stay at Anfield to end after he arrived on Merseyside from Porto in a deal worth an initial £37m in 2022. Liverpool have made a decent profit on the player, which comes as Kop boss Slot immediately finds his replacement from within.
Slot admitted he was disappointed to see Diaz depart, after the attacker recorded 13 goals and seven assists in the Premier League last term. The Dutchman has faith in his side's ability to bring in new players however, and conceded sometimes exits are required to facilitate that.
“Luis is a player we won the league with and there’s a reason we won it with him because he’s a very good player," said Slot. "It’s always disappointing to see someone like that leave, to a certain extent.
"But on the other hand, we’ve sold him for a lot of money and, as you probably know even better than I do, this football club brings in unbelievable signings over the years, but part of the strategy is also that once in a while we have to sell someone.
"I think we did great business by bringing in Lucho for a number of years and then selling him for a very good profit. Lucho was a player who was a joy to work with because he always had a smile on his face every single day. I will remember him as someone who was a joy to work with and a Premier League title winner.”
Slot believes he already has a number of options at his disposal to fill the gap left by Diaz. The former Feyenoord booss name-checked young star Rio Ngumoha, who has impressed in pre-season thus far, Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz as options.
"I think if players leave, whether that’s Trent (Alexander-Arnold) or Lucho, then you always need to replace them with quality," he said. "But sometimes quality can be in different positions. We have more than a few players who can play in a number of positions.
“At this moment in time, we still have Cody Gakpo, Rio (Ngumoha) is showing very good signs, and I think Florian Wirtz can play from the left side as well. There are enough options for me to choose from. But as I always say, another thing about Liverpool is that if we see a chance in the market, we never hesitate to bring someone in. In the end, it’s about quality, and we have already made some very good signings. In terms of quality, we are already in the right place."
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