Luis Diaz saves special mention in Liverpool exit statement as transfer compliment paid

Luis Diaz insists he will "treasure forever" his time at Liverpool after choosing to leave and pursue a new challenge with Bayern Munich.

The German side have finally landed the Colombian in a deal worth £65million. Bayern had seen their opening offer rejected by the Reds but have now got the transfer over the line, bringing to an end the winger's spell at Anfield.

Diaz was signed by Jurgen Klopp in January 2022 and the ex-Porto man made an immediate impact. He leaves Liverpool as a Premier League winner, but with his contract winding down and no sign of future talks on the horizon the player has chosen to head to the German champions.

In an exit statement he paid tribute to the Reds and reserved special praise for former team-mate Diogo Jota, who recently tragically died in a car accident.

Diaz said on his social media: "Three years and a half that I’ll treasure forever. I arrived with all the dreams in the world, and I am leaving proud of everything we achieved together. I have met incredible people, fabulous colleagues, coaches who helped me a lot, and extraordinary fans.

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"Liverpool is, indeed, a special team, and I will keep everyone in my heart. The cycle ends here, and it is so gratifying to look back and realise how happy we were. Not only because of the trophies we won, but for the union and friendship that made it all possible. There were ups and downs, as there always are, but there was always truth. As it should be in a family.

"It’s good to be leaving with the feeling of a duty fulfilled, and, most of all, to be leaving a champion. It would have been the perfect goodbye if we hadn’t lost one of ours in such a tragic way. As I said, and I repeat, I carry everyone with me in my heart, but one of them in particular: Diogo. I will never forget him. We will never forget him. Thank you for everything."

Diaz bolsters an attack that includes the likes of Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala, although the latter faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines, which motivated Bayern's desire to dip into the market to land a marquee attacker.

Their CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen paid tribute to Liverpool for how they had conducted themselves during the transfer discussions having also dealt with them when they landed Sadio Mane several years ago. He said: "We would like to thank Liverpool for what were fair and serious negotiations at all times."

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