The Athletic have revealed that Tottenham had a signed agreement in place with Porto for the transfer of Luis Diaz before Liverpool swooped for the winger and snapped him up from under the noses of the north Londoners.
The report claims that Tottenham had agreed on a deal worth €45m( £37.6 m) plus €15m (£12.5m) in add-ons with Porto for Diaz.
The Colombian was said to be enthusiastic about the prospect of joining Spurs and is said to have agreed on personal terms with Antonio Conte’ side.
However, it is explained that the 25-year-old had not signed the agreement since he was away on international duty.
That is when Diaz’s Colombian agent is said to have vetoed the transfer, objecting to Porto using Jorge Mendes to oversee his client’s move to Tottenham.
Liverpool are thought to have entered the equation and pushed ahead with a move for the Porto star without using Mendes as an intermediary.
The Reds are said to have agreed on a similar fee for Diaz as Spurs did, with the player’s head getting turned by the offer of Champions League football and the chance to work with Jurgen Klopp.
MORE SPURS STORIES
The Athletic claim that Daniel Levy had done everything to pull off the deal and was furious when Liverpool hijacked Tottenham’s move,
Spurs Web Opinion
This could be one of those deals that we look back on in a few years and wonder ‘what if’ as I expect Diaz to be a huge hit at Anfield.
While I am pleased with the addition of Kulusevski, there is no doubt that the Colombian would have been a far more exciting signing than the Swede.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
