Luis Díaz is following in the footsteps of Liverpool great Sadio Mané by joining Bayern Munich to follow on from a successful spell on Merseyside.
The Colombian winger was touted as the Senegalese superstar’s successor at Anfield, having arrived at the club six months before Mané’s departure in 2022. Díaz had his struggles in the wake of a scintillating first few months, but leaves the club off the back of his best season in Liverpool colours.
His 13 Premier League goals were second to only Mohamed Salah in Arne Slot’s squad, as he performed admirably as the Robin to Salah’s Batman in Liverpool’s attack. While the Reds were keen on retaining him, Díaz, like Mané three years ago, wanted a new challenge. Bavaria beckons.
With the his mind made up, Liverpool will feel they’ve done a good job to earn a big fee and turn a proft. Bayern have coughed up £65.6 million ($88.1 million) to sign the 28-year-old.
Winners of Luis Díaz’s Liverpool Exit
Alexander Isak
Liverpool have been the Premier League’s biggest spenders this summer, with the addition of Hugo Ekitiké taking their splurge towards the £300 million ($398.6 million) mark.
And they may not be done yet!
Isak’s desire to leave Newcastle United curiously became clear after Arsenal signed Viktor Gyökeres and Liverpool had already landed Ekitiké. With the Swedish star not keen on a move to Saudi Arabia, the Reds, despite their huge outlay, are Isak’s most likely suitor.
The big money exit of Díaz will only enhance their ability to pull off what could be a record breaking deal, with Newcastle potentially demanding as much as £150 million ($199.3 million). With Isak seeking to leave St. James’s Park and left out of the Magpies’ pre-season tour squad as a result, he’s perhaps the biggest winner of the Colombian’s exit.
Cody Gakpo
Gakpo was one of the beneficiaries of Arne Slot’s arrival, with his compatriot steering the former PSV Eindhoven star clear of the centre forward position and, instead, stationing him out wide.
The Dutch international benefitted from the role switch after a slow start to the Premier League season, catching fire at the turn of the year. A knock limited him somehwat at the end of winter, thwarting his momentum, but he ended 2024–25 with 10 Premier League goals.
He appeared just shy of 50 times for the Reds last season, notching 32 starts. Minutes were not an issue for Gakpo, with Díaz capable of operating as a false nine when Slot opted against utilising Darwin Núñez or Diogo Jota in his XI.
Díaz, however, was also used down the left flank in place of Gakpo, so his exit should make for reduced competition in the Dutchman’s preferred role—even if there’s been talk of Hugo Ekitiké potentially playing out wide should Isak come in.
Harry Kane
Bayern have probably overpaid for the Liverpool winger, given his age and the relatively short-term nature of it, but one man who won’t care a jot is talisman Harry Kane.
Kane has scored at will since joining the reigning Bundesliga champions two summers ago, and he should benefit from Díaz’s effusiveness and tireless energy down the left flank. The Colombian is the Leroy Sané replacement they desperately needed, and the club will hope that Díaz can operate in tandem with Michael Olise with similar efficacy as the Serge Gnabry x Kingsley Coman tandem from their treble-winning 2019–20 season.
Gnabry and Coman remain on Bayern’s books, but they’ll be utilised as depth options this season.
Kane was close to teaming up with Díaz midway through the 2021–22 season, with Tottenham Hotspur close to completing a deal for the then-Porto winger, before Liverpool pounced.
Díaz’s energy should reduce the burden on Kane out of possession, and the 28-year-old’s willingness to run in behind will embolden the English forward as a playmaker. He’s the runner this Bayern attack were lacking. Moreover, the money spent on Díaz is likely going to rule the German club out of signing a potential Kane successor this summer.
Losers of Luis Díaz’s Liverpool Exit
Hugo Ekitiké
This one links to Liverpool’s potential move for Isak. As it stands, Ekitiké is set to operate as the Reds’ leading man up top, but the arrival of the Newcastle striker would thrust the Frenchman’s role into doubt.
Slot could adopt a two-striker system, but also potentially shift Ekitiké out wide. While there have been suggestions that Liverpool’s new signing is adept out on the flanks, there’s no denying that he’s more comfortable operating as a roaming centre forward—one who can rotate out to the left—as opposed to a touchline winger.
What Slot asks of Ekitiké if he does play him wide, which he may be encouraged to do even if Isak doesn’t sign, given Florian Wirtz’s potential as a false nine, will determine how successful he is in the role. However, the young forward is much more of a sure thing when tasked to lead the line.
Nevertheless, the fluid system adopted by Slot last season should suit Ekitiké, no matter the role he plays.
Nick Woltemade
Bayern Munich’s big splash on Díaz surely puts an end to their pursuit of Stuttgart forward Nick Woltemade, who starred for Germany Under-21s at the Euros this summer off the back of a breakout season in the Bundesliga.
The 23-year-old is a distinct figure who combines throwback with contemporary attributes. Woltemade is a 6'5 behemoth with ballerina feet. He scored 12 times in the German top flight last season, and Bayern seemed ready to cash in after his stellar summer in Slovakia.
The young forward has his sights set on Bayern, and he reportedly agreed personal terms with Die Roten ahead of a proposed move. Kane has not yet shown any signs of slowing down, but he’s 32 and might not pen an extension beyond 2027. They require a succession plan, and Woltemade is seemingly the utopia.
However, their move for the 23-year-old has surely been pushed back after moving for Díaz. They can’t afford both.
Alexis Mac Allister
The summer hasn’t been kind to Alexis Mac Allister so far. He’s been out for two months with a mystery injury, and celebrated his return to training by taking an Ekitiké shot to the face.
Mac Allister’s South American contingent is also dwindling. Díaz described his close connection with the Argentina international earlier this year, saying that the pair and Uruguayan Núñez are “always together everywhere”.
Mac Allister could thus lose two of his closest Liverpool teammates in the same transfer window, with Núñez also heavily linked with a move away.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Winners and Losers of Luis Diaz's Liverpool Exit.