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7 hours ago
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Bayern Munich fans can breathe a sigh of relief as the German champions have secured their first major signing of the summer transfer window by securing the Luis Diaz deal.
The Colombian will be moving to Bavaria from Liverpool for a whopping €75m (£65.5m) transfer fee from Liverpool.
Diaz was already in Bayern's shortlist on the left flank following the departures of Leroy Sane and Thomas Muller.
Although the Bavarians had to pay a premium to lure the 28-year-old out of Merseyside, they have secured a quality winger to aid the likes of Harry Kane, Michael Olise, and Jamal Musiala.
The reception around the signing has been slightly on the negative side, but former Bayern Munich midfielder Lothar Matthaus has been overwhelmingly positive with his verdict in his latest column.
"After the departures of [Thomas] Muller and [Leroy] Sane and the long injury break for [Jamal] Musiala, Bayern Munich had to respond with quality. Luis Diaz has proven his quality in the Premier League. He's fast and strong in tackles. With him, Bayern have more options up front. He played as a left winger, a central midfielder, and a second striker at Liverpool. He could play behind Kane at Bayern, just like [Serge] Gnabry or [Michael] Olise. But if Diaz costs €75 million, he should be a permanent fixture in one position," Matthaus wrote in his Sky Sports column.
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While Bayern Munich continue to remain interested in Stuttgart's Nick Woltemade, Matthaus feels Bayern are unsure about the 23-year-old.
He feels that Bayern could have paid Stuttgart a similar amount that they paid for Diaz, and that would have made the transfer smoother, as Woltemade is keen to join Bayern.
"However, Diaz is already 28 years old, while Nick Woltemade is only 23. If they pay €75 million for a player five years older, they must have great confidence in Diaz. If one were mean, one could ask: Why doesn't Bayern have this trust in Woltemade, who has already committed to FCB? VfB Stuttgart would probably have been satisfied with the amount Diaz costs."
Will Bayern Munich push for Nick Woltemade?
Bayern Munich earlier were ready to offer €50 million fixed transfer fee, along with €5 million in add-ons and a 10% sell-on clause for Woltemade.
But even after that offer, Stuttgart bosses didn't organise a meeting with Bayern chiefs to further negotiate for the 23-year-old.
Since then, the reigning Bundesliga champions decided to withdraw their pursuit of Woltemade for the time being until Diaz was sealed.
Now that Diaz is confirmed, Bayern may make a final push for Woltemade, who is highly rated by Bayern chiefs as one of the best German talents in recent years.
The 23-year-old forward netted 17 goals and provided three assists in 33 appearances for Stuttgart and was crucial in their DFB Pokal triumph last season.
He also carried that form for Germany U21 in the U21 European Championships in Slovakia last month, where he finished as the top scorer with six goals and three assists.
Woltemade is seen as a long-term replacement for Muller at Bayern Munich therefore, the Bavarians may just return for the youngster with another improved bid.
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