Liverpool are strong favorites to land Thiago Alcantara this summer, after the midfielder held crunch talks with Bayern Munich’s hierarchy and reinforced his desire to leave.
Thiago is reluctant to commit to a new, long-term contract with the German champions, and his current contract expires in 2021.
Thiago’s Bayern contract expires in 2021 / ANP Sport / Getty Images
He has been consistently linked with a move to Liverpool despite the Reds’ apparent reluctance to spend big in this summer’s transfer window due to financial constraints caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo, Liverpool are ‘very likely’ to sign Thiago after talks with Bayern’s top brass.
The 29-year-old sat down with bosses at Bayern to discuss his future, with the Bundesliga champions hoping he will reconsider his position and commit to the club.
Thiago enjoyed a wonderful seven years with Byron/Alexander Hessenstein/Getty Images
However, the exact opposite happened, and Thiago informed Byrne that he was insisting on departure.
After winning the Champions League and two La Liga titles with Barcelona, Thiago joined Bayern in 2013 for €25m. He has won the league title in each of his seven seasons in Germany, in addition to the DFB-Pokal on four occasions.
With his 30th birthday just nine months away, the Spaniard sees this as his last chance to get a big move, play for another big club and possibly win another league.
Thiago is looking for a new challenge after winning with Barcelona and Bayern / David Ramos / Getty Images
Bayern are keen not to lose Thiago on a free transfer, and will demand £27m for him – previously held out for £31m.
Jurgen Klopp has informed the Liverpool board that he is ‘happy’ for the Reds to pursue the Spain international, but any deal will be determined by Georginio Wijnaldum’s long-term future.
The midfielder has one year remaining on his contract at Anfield. Talks are ongoing between the club and the player regarding a new contract, and although progressing in the right direction, a new contract has yet to be confirmed.