Bayern Munich land Luis Diaz from Liverpool; Xhaka makes surprise move to Sunderland

Granit Xhaka and Luis Diaz. (Photos: X)

Bayern Munich have signed Colombian winger Luis Diaz from Liverpool on a four-year contract, the Bundesliga club said on Wednesday.

Financial details of the transfer were not revealed but British media reported Bayern paid around 75 million euros ($86.67 million) for the 28-year-old Colombia international.

Diaz's contract with Liverpool ran until June 2027. He moved to the Merseyside club from Portuguese side Porto for around 50 million euros in January 2022.

"Three years and a half that I'll treasure forever. I arrived with all the dreams in the world, and I am leaving proud of everything we achieved together," Diaz posted on Instagram.

"I have met incredible people, fabulous colleagues, coaches who helped me a lot, and extraordinary fans. Liverpool is, indeed, a special team, and I will keep everyone in my heart...

"It would have been the perfect goodbye if we hadn't lost one of ours in such a tragic way," Diaz added, referring to former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident earlier this month.

"As I said, and I repeat, I carry everyone with me in my heart, but one of them in particular: Diogo. I will never forget him. We will never forget him. Thank you for everything. YNWA."

Diaz made 148 appearances in all competitions across four seasons at Liverpool, scoring 41 goals and registering 23 assists.

His best performance in the Premier League came last season, when he helped Liverpool to their record-equalling 20th English top-flight title with 13 goals and seven assists from 36 games. Diaz also helped Liverpool win the FA Cup in 2022 and the League Cup in 2022 and 2024.

He primarily played on the left wing at Liverpool and can also be deployed as a striker.

"Luis Diaz is an internationally experienced player with enormous quality, great skills and great reliability. He will help our team immediately. We are delighted that we were able to sign him for Bayern," Bayern sporting director Max Eberl said in a statement.

"Transfers like this work when everything clicks into place. Our fans can look forward to an exceptional player."

Diaz is the second Liverpool player to join a German side in this transfer window, after defender Jarell Quansah moved to Bayer Leverkusen this month.

Xhaka joins Sunderland from Leverkusen

Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka has joined Sunderland on a three-year contract, returning to the Premier League two years after he left Arsenal for Bayer Leverkusen, the English club said on Wednesday.

Xhaka, 32, spent seven years at Arsenal before joining Leverkusen, where he won the Bundesliga and reached the Europa League final in his debut season. No fee was disclosed for the transfer but English media reports said Sunderland signed Xhaka for 17.3 million pounds ($23.14 million).

The move to the newly-promoted Premier League club comes a week after Leverkusen manager Erik ten Hag said Xhaka was too important for the club to let go.

"I'm very proud to be here. When I spoke to the Club, I was excited and I felt the energy, and the mentality that all the people and players have," Xhaka said in a statement.

Xhaka, who has made 225 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, won the FA Cup twice with the North London side.

Sunderland begin their league campaign with a home game against West Ham United on August 16.