Liverpool are interested in Thiago Alcantara and a move is imminent.
For many weeks now the football media have been running some version of this story. They have been talking out their backsides. Liverpool are not interested in signing Thiago and a move is not imminent.
That is not to say that Liverpool have no reason to be interested; Thiago is clearly a brilliant player and just won the Champions League with Bayern Munich. When he signed for the club from Barcelona in 2013, Pep Guardiola said of him: "I spoke to the club and told them about my concept and told them why I want Thiago. He is the only player that I want. It will be him or no one."
With just a year left on his contract he would also be – even in the year of COVID – relatively cheap at about £30 million. And while Liverpool are not in the habit of buying 30-year-olds (which Thiago will be come April), an exception could undoubtedly be made for such a world class player.
The real problem in one of squad numbers; Liverpool already have club captain Jordan Henderson in midfield along with Fabinho, Gini Wijnaldum, the Ox, Curtis Jones, and vice-captain James Milner. Playing there also is Naby Keita, who after two full seasons at the club seems to have reached the milestone of being fit half the time. That is, in short, a metric crap-tonne of midfielders.
As Klopp & co. seem to have figured out, eight (including Thiago) into three will not go.
The only way I can see a move for Thiago happening is if one of those mentioned above leaves. The obvious candidate is Gini Wijnaldum. Like Thiago, he turns 30 this year and has twelve months to run on his contract. More to the point he is said to be wanted at Barcelona by Ronald Koeman – until recently his national team boss.
If the lure of Koeman is enough to convince Wijnaldum to take such a backwards step in his career, then perhaps Thiago replaces him at Anfield. But Wijnaldum leaving seems unlikely, and so Thiago will stay in Germany.
For this year at least.
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