Klopp: Diaz has exceptional attributes, can’t wait to welcome him

Luis Diaz

, who

Jurgen Klopp

has been targeting for a while, made a move to

from

on Sunday on a deal worth £37million, putting pen to paper for a five-and-a-half-year contract.

The Colombia attacker, who has been on international duty, has yet to go to the Melwood training ground and is unlikely to be part of the team for Sunday’s FA Cup clash with Cardiff. However, the Reds boss is keen on linking up with the player who he believes has "exceptional" attributes.

"

We signed him because we like pretty much everything about him, that is how it is,"

Klopp told his press conference on Friday.

"I have followed him now for a while, not only since we played them [Porto] twice in the Champions League. He is an exceptional player; he has the speed, the skillset, the character to have a really good career. We all want him to have this career with us.

"Nowadays you have 16, 17-year-old boys playing at the highest level, maybe he is a bit of a late bloomer [Diaz is 25], but the bloom is exceptional.

"I am really happy that we could get him in now and we can help him, and he can help us. His story is a special one, I like players with special stories behind them. Now he is one of us and we can't wait to welcome him here and started working together."

Klopp said that the Colombia international needs time to adjust to everything, adding:

"If Luis were to come here, step on the pitch and be immediately at his absolute best and playing better than all the other players would be really strange because we've played together for a while.

"He needs time. I haven't even seen him yet, he's not here at the training ground, so maybe we should wait a little bit.

"But we are really happy and excited about the signing; it is a really good sign that we work on all fronts to improve this team. In football, we have to be successful now and, in the future, he can help with both and that is a really good thing."

Although Liverpool were successful in acquiring the services of Diaz, they failed to secure

winger

Carvalho

’s.

The teenager is going to see out the rest of his contract before hitting free agency in the summer, when Klopp reveals that the Reds will still be eager to sign him.

"

We are still interested; it would be crazy if not,

" the Liverpool boss added.

"But at the moment it's not in our own hands.

"[Fulham boss] Marco Silva said it all in his press conference, this kind of deal was late in the transfer window, and it didn't work out in the end. We will see what happens."

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