Bayern Munich director of sport Max Eberl has admitted Liverpool blew them out of the race for Bradley Barcola this summer but insists it is Luis Diaz who truly draws fans to the stadium. Liverpool sold the Colombia international in a £65.5million deal last summer.
The Reds were initially reluctant to let Diaz leave after an outstanding season in which he scored 17 goals in all competitions for the former Premier League champions. A year later, Barcola arrived at Anfield for £123million from Paris Saint-Germain.
Bayern's interest in Barcola
Bayern, along with several other clubs, including Arsenal, had been linked with Barcola before the France international completed his move to Liverpool. However, Eberl explained that the price tag ultimately put the Bundesliga giants out of contention for a deal.
"To be honest, I already knew Bradley from my time in Leipzig, I wanted to bring him to RB," Eberl said. "We sat down together and discussed it, that's how I developed a closer relationship with Bradley. So, there was always interest. Of course, we also considered Bradley at Bayern. But when you hear those kinds of sums, it was too much for us. With Luis Diaz, we made a decision that was also expensive, but on a different scale than Bradley. Moreover, Diaz is a player that draws fans to the stadium. We're extremely happy with him."
Barcola's Liverpool debut and injury scare
Eberl's remarks about Diaz suggest a subtle dig at the Reds, hinting that Liverpool's pursuit of Barcola may not carry the same weight or commercial pull. The Frenchman was handed his first Liverpool start on Wednesday night as they hosted Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
Andoni Iraola's side produced a 2-1 comeback, with Dominik Szoboszlai cancelling out Marcos Llorente's opener before Alexis Mac Allister smashed in a late winner. But Barcola's night ended on a sour note after he picked up a fresh injury concern in the second half. Just before the hour mark, the former PSG winger pulled up clutching his calf. After receiving treatment from Liverpool's medical staff and being consoled by team-mates, he was replaced by Victor Munoz.
Speaking after the game, Reds boss Iraola eased fears of an injury scare and revealed: "No it's just cramps, especially with Bradley. We are kind of rushing him a little bit as he hasn't played any minutes in pre-season. We want him there but at the end we decided for him to give us whatever he has and let's see now how they recover for the next one, as we play again in three days."
Barcola began his Liverpool career with a cameo off the bench at Ipswich Town on Friday night, coming on just after the hour mark. Those were his first minutes since featuring in France's third-place play-off 6-4 defeat to England at the World Cup.
