Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara has been recently linked with a shocking move to Premier League champions-elect Liverpool.
The Spaniard’s current deal expires in the summer of 2021, and therefore, there is a very real possibility that Thiago could well be on his way to England as per latest reports.
Earlier, it was believed that the 29-year-old would extend his contract with Bayern after they secured a record eighth consecutive Bundesliga title, however, the interest from Jurgen Klopp’s side has made Thiago think twice before taking any call on his future.
A brief history of Thiago Alcantara
For the unversed, Thiago Alcantra began his playing career with Flamengo in Brazil. However, soon he would end up at Barcelona’s ‘La Masia’, where the talented midfielder continued to star for the reserve teams, before finally making his first-team debut in 2009.
In the following years, the Spanish international earned a name for himself in the Blaugrana colours as an intelligent midfielder, honing his skills alongside legends such as Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez.
Under the watchful eyes of Pep Guardiola, he ended up making 100 appearances for Barcelona’s senior team until 2013. Later, when the 49-year-old coach moved to Bayern Munich, he bought Thiago and together, they dominated all of Germany until Guardiola stepped down as head coach of the Bavarians.
His protege, however, continued to impress and slowly developed into a world-beater, having racked up 230 appearances for Die Roten, whilst also contributing 31 goals and 37 assists.
Liverpool’s interest in Thiago
In the 2019-20 season, the Brazilian-born player has made just 35 appearances owing to injury issues, however, due to his obvious talent, Liverpool are ready to make a move for Thiago.
Having just one year remaining on his current deal, the Spaniard has reportedly held talks with Bayern over an extension, but since the Anfield outfit made their interest known to the former Barcelona midfielder, talks regarding an extension have stalled.
Thiago is already 29, and although having won a plethora of trophies with his current club, the midfielder seems interested in making one last big-money move to Merseyside.
As per some reports, he has already said good-bye to a majority of his teammates, although that might be a bit premature, turning down the prospect of playing for one of the strongest teams in Europe may be too good a chance to give away.
Barcelona could also hijack Thiago’s move
There’s also a twist in the tale, with Barcelona coming into the thick of the action. Thiago’s former club are believed to have inserted a buy-back clause when he moved to Bayern Munich.
If true, the La Liga giants would be able to reacquire their former academy product for as little as €25million (£22.5m), which would be a major coup, given his incredible talents.
However, the legitimacy of such a clause in the Spaniard’s current deal is up for debate, for Barcelona would obviously have re-signed Thiago some time ago.
Moreover, the Blaugrana are already well-stocked in midfield, and taking into consideration their willingness to swap Arthur with Miralem Pjanic, it remains to be seen where and how would they accommodate the Bayern Munich star.
How Thiago can help elevate Liverpool to a new level
The Spanish midfielder would give a whole new dimension to Liverpool’s options in the centre of the park.
Jordan Henderson won’t be around forever, James Milner is inching closer towards the end of his career, Naby Keita is yet to establish himself as a key first-team player, and with the future of Georginio Wijnaldum up in the air, Klopp would certainly welcome the signing of Thiago.
His vision, passing and creative abilities would add a whole new edge to the Reds’ attacking arsenal, and would give a lot more options to the German tactician, who loves to experiment with his players.
The verdict
Having tasted defeat in their pursuit of Timo Werner, the addition of Thiago would be the perfect statement signing ahead of next season for the Anfield-based club.
Not that Liverpool’s midfield needs to be tweaked at the moment, but with Adam Lallana seemingly heading for an exit, and the injury issues of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, signing the Bayern Munich midfielder surely makes sense, if they are able to get a deal over the line for an affordable price.
All stats courtesy: Transfermarkt.co.in