David Moyes has admitted that West Ham United had made quite a lot of progress in negotiations with Porto for rumoured Tottenham target Luis Diaz in January.
At one point in the January transfer window, it seemed as if Spurs were set to snap up Diaz (The Guardian) but it was Liverpool who eventually won the race for the Colombian’s signature.
The Athletic later reported that Tottenham had agreed on a transfer fee with Porto for the wide man before the Reds swooped in to steal the 25-year-old from under Spurs’ noses.
The report added that the North London club’s hierarchy were not happy with the way Liverpool conducted themselves in the negotiations and that it could lead to a period of hostility between the two clubs.
Moyes has now revealed that the Hammers had also been locked in negotiations with Porto over Diaz. The West Ham boss revealed that he had even spoken with the player and his agent over a move to the London Stadium.
When asked if West Ham were in for Diaz, he told talkSPORT: “It’s true. I spoke with Luis Diaz on the phone and we were quite far down the line to sign him from Porto.
“My understanding is Liverpool were going to come in for him in the summer, and I was going to try and get him in January.
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“I don’t know if us trying to get him in January affected Liverpool‘s decision but he’s a really good player.
“I had a period where I thought we were on our own. We spoke with the agent in London and got it moving. Then other clubs came onto it.
“The club were ready to make offers for the correct players and sadly we didn’t quite get there.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Diaz would have likely preferred to join Spurs and work under Conte over a move to West Ham.
However, once Liverpool got involved, they were always going to win the race for the winger, given their success in recent years and the fact that they have Champions League football to offer.
The Diaz saga shows how important it is for us to qualify for the Champions League as we would otherwise find it difficult to attract top-quality players in the summer.
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