Bayern Munich have officially sealed a deal to take Luis Díaz from Liverpool to Bavaria.

The Colombia international had spent much of the summer surrounded by swirling transfer speculation. Díaz only served to stir the pot when he confirmed that talks with other clubs were ongoing and he was prepared to run down his Liverpool contract. A move to Barcelona seemed to be his most likely exit route before interest from Bayern Munich emerged.

The reigning Bundesliga champions appeared to have been resigned to defeat as Liverpool held firm on their no-sale stance. Yet, as Díaz reportedly made it clear that he was keen on moving on from Anfield, the Premier League champions opened themselves up to negotiations.

Terms for a transfer worth as much as €75 million (£65.6 million; $88.1 million) were agreed quickly. Díaz was part of the Liverpool squad which landed in Tokyo on Sunday before being given permission to fly to Munich to finalise the move on Wednesday morning.

“I’m very happy,” Díaz told Bayern’s official website, “it means a lot to me to be part of FC Bayern—it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. I want to help my new team with my style of football and my personality. My goal is to win every possible title—we will work towards this every day as a team.”

Liverpool will surely be content with the transfer fee extracted for a 28-year-old who had just two years left on his contract. However, his output on the pitch will be missed.

Detailed instructions during numerous one-on-one discussions with Arne Slot helped inspire the best form of Díaz’s Liverpool tenure. Mohamed Salah was the only member of the title-winning squad who outscored the Colombian last season.

Slot broadened Díaz’s game, routinely deploying the natural left winger in a central role which undoubtedly contributed to that prolific lift. The presence of Harry Kane ensures naturally limits the need for Bayern Munich to field him through the middle, leaving Díaz to compete with the likes of Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry for a left wing spot.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘My Goal’—Luis Diaz Completes Liverpool Exit, Sends First Message.

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