Liverpool boss Arne Slot has broken his silence on the £65.5 million transfer of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich, stating that the club has done “great business” by making a significant profit on the player. The Colombian international has now completed his move to the Bundesliga giants, signing a deal at the Allianz Arena until 2029.
Despite a summer of speculation and the Reds initially declaring Diaz was not for sale, Liverpool were ultimately swayed to part ways with their star winger. Diaz, 28, played a crucial role in Liverpool’s title win under Slot and was under contract for another two years, but persistent rumors surrounded his future.
The transfer brings an end to Diaz’s three-and-a-half-year stay at Anfield, having arrived from Porto in 2022 for an initial £37 million. Liverpool’s decision to sell for a substantial profit comes as Slot looks to fill the void with players already within the squad.
Slot admitted he was disappointed to see Diaz go, especially after the attacker recorded 13 goals and seven assists in the Premier League last season. However, the Dutchman expressed his faith in the club’s strategy, acknowledging that sometimes exits are necessary to facilitate new signings.
“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… part of the strategy is also that once in a while we have to sell someone.”
He continued, “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 has a number of options at his disposal to fill the gap left by Diaz. The former Feyenoord boss specifically named young star Rio Ngumoha, who has impressed in pre-season, as well as Cody Gakpo and Florian Wirtz.
“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.”
