The Hammers manager suspects the Reds were preparing a summer bid until they found out his club were in talks
West Ham were in advanced talks to sign Luis Diaz from Porto before Liverpool swooped in, says David Moyes.
The winger moved to Anfield in the January transfer window in a deal worth £50 million (€60m/$67m).
However, the Reds were not the only Premier League team interested in landing him, and Moyes has revealed the Hammers were real contenders.
What has been said?
Moyes said: “I spoke to Luis Diaz on the phone and we were quite far down the line. My understanding was Liverpool were not going to come in for him until the summer. So we tried to get him in January.
“I don’t know if us trying to get him in January affected Liverpool’s decision, but he’s a really good player and we didn’t get him.”
How has Diaz performed for Liverpool?
The 25-year-old earned rave reviews from manager Jurgen Klopp after his Premier League debut.
He played the full 90 minutes against Leicester shortly after his arrival, with the Reds running out 2-0 winners.
“When we saw him play for Porto we thought that is exactly what we want him to do as well. On top of that, he looks a really smart football player. He looks like a Liverpool player,” Klopp said.
Diaz went on to score his first Premier League goal for the club in his second appearance as they beat Norwich 3-1. He has since featured five times for Klopp’s side.
