Liverpool complete signing of Luis Díaz from Porto

Liverpool have completed the signing of Colombian winger Luis Díaz from Porto after beating Premier League rivals Tottenham to a January deal.

The player will join the Reds on a long-term contract – reported to be until June 2027 with the fee believed to be an initial €45 million, with a further €15 million in add-ons. Díaz, who is currently on international duty with Colombia and played in the 0-1 defeat to Peru on Friday, passed a medical after a Liverpool delegation flew out to Argentina to complete the deal.

Colombia face the Copa América holders on Tuesday as they desperately bid to keep their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar later this year alive.

The 25-year-old had reportedly been subject to a bid from Tottenham earlier in the January transfer window, but the Reds have stepped in to bring the player to Anfield instead. In August, Liverpool's Merseyside rivals Everton attempted to sign Díaz in a deal that would have involved his Colombia team-mate James Rodríguez moving to Porto. However, the deal fell through late on.

Luis Díaz acrobatics

Díaz joined Porto from Colombian side Atlético Júnior in 2019 and registered 12 goals and seven assists across his first two Primeira Liga campaigns. After impressing at the 2021 Copa América where he ended as joint top-scorer alongside Lionel Messi with four goals, Díaz has stepped up his attacking output significantly this season, scoring 14 times and providing four assists across 18 league games, as well as netting twice from six Champions League outings.

Only Benfica's Darwin Núñez (15) has scored more Primeira Liga goals this season, and only Braga's Ricardo Horta (41) has created more chances than Díaz (39), while he leads the league for touches in the opposition penalty area by a distance (162) ahead of second-placed Porto striker Mehdi Taremi (120).

It is also notable that another Porto winger, Otavio (22), is the only player to have won possession more often than Díaz (18) in the attacking third of the pitch, a characteristic Klopp's forwards are often renowned for, given the German's high-press system. 

Cup quest

Diaz's pace and dribbling ability are also real assets. Indeed, only two players in Portugal's top tier this season have completed more dribbles than his 46. Liverpool will be hoping that Díaz can aid them in their quest for silverware this season, with the Reds still in the Champions League and FA Cup, as well as having reached next month's EFL Carabao Cup final against Chelsea, though they are nine points behind Manchester City in the Premier League with a game in hand.