Tottenham were considering a January move for Luis Diaz, according to Antonio Conte, but Liverpool accelerated their interest and signed him instead.
Diaz has made an immediate impact in the Premier League, securing a spot in the Reds' starting lineup and scoring five goals in 21 games across all competitions.
Before moving to Anfield, Liverpool were not the only team interested in the Colombian, with Ralf Rangnick saying that he would have been a player available to Man United if the board had not banned the move.
Conte revealed that Diaz was on Spurs' radar prior to his side potentially playing the 25-year-old this weekend.
"We knew Diaz was a top player. I think Paratici tried to see the possibility to sign him, but in the same way, we signed Dejan Kulusevski and to see the capacity of this player to come into our team, like Rodrigo Bentancur," he said.
"For us these two signings were very important because the team has improved in quality.
"When there is an important player, it is important to try to sign him because you know a top player will improve your team and the quality of your squad. If you want to win something, for sure you need players at the top, not medium level players."
Tottenham are desperate for a positive result against Liverpool on Saturday evening, after drawing and losing to Brentford and Brighton recently.