Liverpool were linked with an interest in Michael Olise ahead of the summer transfer window

Former Liverpool winger Luis Diaz has said that he is ‘thankful’ that Bayern Munich teammate Michael Olise didn’t make a summer move to Anfield. The Reds were one of the teams linked with a potential move for the Frenchman.

Liverpool were on the lookout for a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah, who left the club at the end of last season. Olise was one of the names mentioned as a target, but Bayern were determined to keep the player, who has established himself as one of Europe’s most dangerous wingers, and were demanding a huge price.

Liverpool eventually completed the £123 million move for Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain. The French international has played five times for the Reds so far this season, but is still searching for his first goal involvement.

He has been with the France squad over the international break, featuring in all three of their Nations League matches. Olise is also part of the squad and has scored twice and assisted once in the three matches.

It’s not just on the international stage he is standing out. The winger has scored eight goals and provided four assists in seven appearances for Bayern so far this campaign.

Diaz has now spoken of his delight that Olise didn’t leave the club in the transfer window, despite the links with a move away. Speaking to Sky Germany, he said: "First of all, it was important that we stayed together as a team.

It would have been very difficult to lose a player like that… then perhaps a new player comes in, a lot of things change, and it takes time to adapt.

“But thankfully, we still have him here. He didn't leave, and he remains a very important player for us. He has incredible quality and is showing that in these games.

"And as a person, as I've already said, he's a very good guy; he talks a lot. Sometimes he may not want to talk much to the press, and I understand that because I don't like it either.

“I don't like talking about myself at all. But you're in the public eye and have to play along a little bit, that's part of our job. Internally, Michael talks in the dressing room and on the pitch.

“It's a mix of joking around and having a good team spirit. We get along very well."

Speaking back in April, before the window opened, Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge sent a similar message: "He's a wonderful player," he told t-online. "By the way, I also like the fact that he is so reserved and almost media-shy.

"This is the exception in today's world. He's a good guy and on the pitch he's of course outstanding, the way he celebrates football and almost does magic.

"That's why I'm not surprised that he is so incredibly popular and hyped by our fans."