As Jurgen Klopp continues his ambitious rebuilding at Anfield, Liverpool might lose another big-name talent to European rivals Barcelona.
The Reds had a busy summer, signing four new midfielders and selling crucial pieces of their squad. Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson, and Fabinho all transferred to Saudi Arabia, while Naby Keita returned to the Bundesliga, James Milner joined Brighton, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain travelled to Turkey.
Despite the additions of Alexis MacAllister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch, another significant person might go.
According to ESPN, Thiago Alcantara is lining up a return to Catalonia for next summer, some 11 years after first leaving Barcelona.
The Italian-born Spain international was the first player to play for Pep Guardiola at two separate clubs when he followed his mentor from the Camp Nou to Bayern Munich in 2013. He left Bavaria for Merseyside in 2020, fresh off the back of winning an historic Treble under Hansi Flick.
Thiago has been integral to Liverpool’s change of style under Klopp. The midfield metronome has helped to usher a possession-based philosophy in at Anfield with the Reds moving away from the “heavy metal” gegenpress that the German made his name with in his early years.
After barely featuring in recent months, however, as he battles injury, Thiago will become a free agent next summer. He is free to sign pre-agreements with European sides from January.
Now 32, Thiago only featured 18 times in the Premier League last term for Liverpool and is yet to this time around.
Transfermarkt values Thiago at €12 million.