Barcelona eyeing a summer move for Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara
According to Diario AS (h/t Liverpool Echo), Barcelona are eyeing a move for Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara as they look to revamp their midfield.
Barca boss Xavi is a huge admirer of his former teammate, as Thiago used to play for the Spanish side’s senior team between 2009 and 2013. He was a youth player there for three years and played for their B side too.
The 31-year-old then moved to Bayern Munich, won a lot of stuff including the Champions League and eventually moved to Anfield in 2020. Things have not been easy for him here due to injuries.
If we look at the numbers, Thiago has missed 57 games due to injuries and he has not yet completed three seasons with the Reds. That is an average of missing 20 games per season, which is a lot for such a key player of the squad.
The Spanish international’s contract at Anfield expires in the summer of 2024 (Transfermarkt). With Jurgen Klopp expected to overhaul his midfield this summer, does he want to keep Thiago in the squad? We can assume so to be the case.
Injuries aside, the 31-year-old is still one of the best technical midfielders in Europe. His experience and quality should be kept in the squad even if he is not playing more than 35 games per season.
It might not be a bad idea to buy new midfielders and then hand a new short-term contract to Thiago. The Spaniard would probably know that he won’t play every game next season. But, he has the quality to be an effective presence even during his mid-30s.
More Liverpool News:
- Real Madrid ‘practically ruled out’ of Liverpool target Jude Bellingham race
- Liverpool star James Milner could leave Anfield next summer
- Liverpool ‘register interest’ in Leicester City star James Maddison
Talking about letting him go to Barcelona, let’s not make that happen. He still has a part to play in the evolution of this squad under the tutelage of Klopp.
