Liverpool beat Manchester United to the signing of Stefan Bajcetic from Celta Vigo in 2020

According to a report from The Athletic, Liverpool midfielder Stefan Bajcetic could have been playing for arch-rivals Liverpool were it not for his father to block a move.

Stefan Bajcetic was a member of the Celta Vigo youth academy when Manchester United contacted his father over a potential move in 2020. The Red Devils approached the youngster when scouring the market for a young defender and even came to an initial agreement.

However, the aforementioned report claims that the move broke down after Man United’s then-football negotiations manager Sam Barnett contacted Stefan Bajcetic’s father Srdjan and asked whether it would be possible to pull him out of Celta Vigo as doing so would have meant the club only pays a training compensation fee to secure his signature.

But this proved a costly mistake as Bajcetic Sr.—not only an ex-Celta Vigo player but also a club employee—blocked the move in 2020. And just a few months later, Liverpool swept in and signed the Spain youth international for a fee of £224,000.

After playing a few games for the Liverpool Under-21s, Bajcetic broke into the first team during the 2022/23 season and went on to make 22 appearances across all competitions. Going by his meteoric rise in the Reds’ senior side, the defensive midfielder was expected to play a key role last season. However, a combination of calf and adductor problems disrupted his term, limiting him to just three appearances across all competitions.

The Reds signed four players to refresh their midfield unit last summer, which means Bajcetic will face a challenge to get regular minutes. Now fully fit and running, the teenager will hope to impress our new manager Arne Slot in the upcoming pre-season tour.

Credit to Liverpool and our scouting network for identifying a prodigious talent like Bajcetic and taking great advantage of our bitter rivals’ failed move to sign him for pennies from Celta Vigo. We have all seen the maturity and calmness he possesses on the ball at such a young age when playing for Liverpool’s first team. It was a big shame that injuries disrupted his past season which was supposed to be so crucial for his development.

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Nonetheless, Bajcetic will be raring to make a mark on our new boss and make himself ready for the start of the new season. Let’s hope he stays injury-free and manages to become a crucial member of Arne Slot’s squad.