As Liverpool look to push through the signing of Luis Diaz before transfer deadline day, Everton will be left thinking what might have been.
Diaz could be on his way to the red half of the city after Liverpool agreed an initial £37m deal with Porto for his services.
But if Everton would have had their way, the gifted winger would have been on Merseyside five months ago.
The Blues identified Diaz as one of their key targets before the summer transfer window closed on August 31.
They hoped to bring the now-25-year-old to Goodison Park as part of a deal that would have taken James Rodriguez back to Porto.
Everton thought that, with Rodriguez thrown in, they could get his Colombian international team-mate for around £20m.
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Rodriguez, however, could not agree terms with Porto, and the talks collapsed.
The Blues, with the say-so of then-boss Rafa Benitez, did eventually manage to move on Rodriguez, who signed for Qatari side Al Rayyan for an undisclosed fee on September 22.
But by that stage it was too late to resurrect a deal for Diaz, whose form this season has seen his value and reputation grow.
The Colombian has scored 17 goals in 34 games for club and country and he looked set to move to Tottenham Hotspur before the transfer window closes on Monday.
But jolted into action by Spurs’ approach, and the interest of Manchester United, Liverpool have made their move for Diaz.
The Reds have sent a delegation to Argentina to meet the player for a medical when he touches down in the country ahead of Colombia’s World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
If that all goes well, Liverpool will pay an initial £37m for Diaz, with the potential for the deal to rise to £49m.
Everton, meanwhile, are focusing their efforts on appointing a new manager before transfer deadline day, after sacking Benitez following an abysmal run of one win in 13 Premier League matches under the one-time Liverpool boss.
