West Ham United were attempting to sign Luis Diaz in the January transfer window before Liverpool made their move, David Moyes has confirmed.
The Reds accelerated their plan to land the Colombian international in the summer, when it became apparent that Tottenham Hotspur were closing in on the talented winger.
But according to Football.London, it has now it has emerged that David Moyes was trying to bring the former Porto star to the capital last month and held talks with Diaz before Liverpool stepped in to scupper the deal.
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Moyes said: "It's true I spoke with Luis Diaz on the phone and we were quite far down the line to sign him from Porto. My understanding is Liverpool were going to come in for him in the summer, and I was going to try and get him in January.
"I don't know if us trying to get him in January affected Liverpool's decision but he's a really good player."
"I had a conversation with Luis Diaz on the phone, with an interpreter and his agent. I really hoped that he was going to choose West Ham.
"We didn't get him in but our ambition to sign the best players to improve West Ham is good. I want to make us better and I don't want it to be mediocre if I can help it."
Ultimately, Diaz decided to joined Jurgen Klopp's team in a £37.5million deal and has already made an immediate impact, scoring in his second league start for the Reds against Norwich City at Anfield.
The winger is enjoying a fruitful season, having scored 21 goals in 42 appearances for club and country this campaign.
Diaz will be hoping he has done enough to secure a starting place for Liverpool's Carabao Cup Final against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
His chances of starting the match are likely to hinge on the fitness of Diogo Jota, who is facing a race against time to recover from injury by kick-off on Sunday.
