The art of trading! Telegraph: Edwards is not moved by emotions, knowing that Bayern will meet the price
Bayern signed Liverpool winger Louis Dias for £65.5 million, and the Daily Telegraph revealed that the offer was unstoppable for Liverpool executives. This also once again proves the smart operation of Fenway Group, and Anfield Club's busy summer window transfer activities are still continuing.
The media noted that Liverpool was a big buyer in the Premier League this summer, but their latest transfer activity has cemented the reputation of one of its best sellers in football. The most eye-catching signings will always take the biggest headlines, but at the end of the current transfer window, Liverpool's funds recovered in the Fenway era will exceed the £1 billion mark. Some of the deals the club has completed in the past 10 years are enough to get anyone to take off their hats.
Louis Dias' departure was not the primary issue for Liverpool this summer, but the deal was finally accepted after the Bundesliga champion submitted an undeniable offer of up to £65.5 million.
Dias is diligent and popular, and his departure proves that he is a perfect signing for Fenway Group - signed at his peak for only £37 million and sold at nearly twice the price when he was close to 30.
Bayern promised to pay a high fee for the winger who was over 30 at the end of the contract - not only the transfer fee, but Diaz's salary in Bavaria will also be significantly higher than in Anfield.
If Liverpool are willing to match Dias and his representatives' renewal salary they have been asking for since 2023, the transfer will never happen. The player first asked to leave the team in 2024 because he was frustrated by the failure to get the expected raise and rejected two contract offers from the club.
Fenway Group Football CEO Michael Edwards and his management team have a tough position when determining the value of players. After analyzing the data, they firmly believe that they can find better options with an equal salary (the annual salary of more than £10 million that Colombians want). As Bayern's offer continues to rise, Edwards and sports director Richard Hughes have privately known that their valuation of Dias will be satisfied.
Despite his outstanding performance, Dias embarked on the same path as Liverpool legends Mane, Firmino and Wijnaldum, who all wanted better treatment, but eventually found that Edwards was unmoved by emotions.
When Mane, 30, transferred to Bayern, Liverpool decided that he could not continue to pay his £20 million annual salary as Salah. Their analytics team must predict who is more likely to stay in the top tier in their thirties.
Mane will always be regarded as one of Liverpool's greatest players, but with one year left in the contract, the club's decision to sell him for £35 million is obviously correct. Bayern sold Mane to the Saudi Professional League 12 months later at the cost of losing 10 million pounds.
And selling Coutinho to Barcelona for £142 million is the smartest deal in any club in modern football. Despite the boycott at the time, what really allowed Liverpool to live within their means was the cumulative effect of those less eye-catching sales.
In 2016, they recovered £18 million from Bournemouth (winter Abby and defender Smith); in 2017, Hull City paid £4 million for Kevin Stewart (the deal actually only traded £3.5 million for Robertson's reverse transfer), and persuaded Crystal Palace to pay £26 million for Sacco; in 2018, Leicester City paid £12.5 million for third goalkeeper Ward, and a year later, Danny Ins brought £18 million to Southampton, and youth training graduate Kent joined the Wanderers for £6.5 million; in 2020, Liverpool won nearly £30 million by selling young players Brewster and Hover to Sheffield United and Wolves respectively.
This trend has continued over the past five years. While maximizing value, some players who have left Liverpool at high prices are enough to constitute the topic "Where are you now?" Record spending in the summer window of 2025 is expected to be matched by record income.
Like other departure deals, the pros and cons of selling Dias will be more comprehensively evaluated in the future. Instant reviews will depend on whether their replacements are equally excellent or better. History shows that Liverpool has made far more correct decisions than mistakes.
The media finally joked: If the business Bible "The Art of Transaction" is to be reprinted, publishers should ignore Donald Trump and seek insights from Edwards, Hughes and Fenway Group President Mike Gordon, that would be a wiser move.