It’s no secret that Luis Diaz’s recent success in Europe has also raised the appreciation for him in South America. Not only in his home country of Colombia, but in other countries as well.
Since joining Liverpool, the winger became one of the Reds’ main stars in their search for multiple titles this season, and his evolution is being followed from close in many countries.
So on Friday, Argentine newspaper Olé dedicates an entire page to explain how River Plate missed out on signing Diaz during the time the player was at Junior Barranquilla in Colombia.
That chase dates back to the end of 2018, when River Plate had just won the historic Copa Libertadores final against Boca Juniors. The story claims that while everyone was celebrating the title, manager Marcelo Gallardo was thinking of Diaz.
The Buenos Aires club engaged in talks with Junior Barranquilla, who wanted US$6m (€5.6m) for 60% of Luis Diaz. The Millonario’s offer was worse, as they wanted to pay US$5m (€4.7m) for 70% of the player.
Despite the Libertadores title, River had been struggling with money at the time, and couldn’t convince the Colombian club of a better deal. So the talks collapsed and Diaz stayed in his country.
Six months later, in the summer of 2019, Porto showed up and spent €7m on his signing. Quite a good deal, considering that they later sold him to Liverpool for €45m in January 2022.
Olé finishes the story saying: “Today Luis Diaz dazzles the world in the team of Klopp (who lives praising him), showing all his talent both in the Premier and in the Champions League, where on Wednesday he played the semi-first leg… They already knew him well here…”
