Transfer News: Liverpool set to complete Thiago Alcantara swoop

Liverpool are reportedly on the cusp of signing ex-Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich in a €30 million deal.

According to a report by The Athletic, Thiago Alcantara is on the verge of joining Liverpool. The Premier League champions have agreed a €30 million deal with their Bundesliga counterparts Bayern Munich to sign the Spanish international, who will pen a four-year contract with the Reds.

Thiago Alcantara joined Bayern Munich from Barcelona in the summer of 2013 and has continued his tremendously successful career. Over the course of his spell with Barcelona and Bayern, the 29-year-old has enjoyed a trophy-laden decade or so, winning 24 titles and winning every competition he has participated in at least once.

As far as his Bayern Munich stint is concerned, the former Barcelona midfielder has gone on to turn out 235 times, with 31 goals and 37 assists to show for his efforts. Thiago, though, is now set to call time on his spell at the Allianz Arena, with Liverpool primed to secure his services.

Liverpool have agreed a €30M deal to sign Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich, reports @TheAthleticUK pic.twitter.com/QVxNpVi0up

— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 17, 2020

Liverpool’s links with Thiago over a move this summer first emerged in June, after Thiago decided not to sign a new long-term deal with Bayern Munich. The interest in the ex-Barcelona superstar made a great deal of sense as well. Jurgen Klopp has created a formidable squad, which boasts of one of the best attacking trios in Europe and a solid, often impregnable defence.

But, midfield is an area that has had a lot of scope for improvement, with respect to creativity. Among the current options at the disposal of the Liverpool manager, no player has the ability to provide the creative impetus from the middle of the park, with each of the midfielder more known for his work-rate than any other trait.

As a result, Liverpool’s moves flow largely through the two flanks, with Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold having the creative onus on them. Thiago’s arrival, though will give Liverpool’s build-up play an added dimension. That the former Barcelona midfielder had been eager to make the switch to Anfield only boosted the Reds’ cause further.

However, for a long time, Liverpool had been reluctant to meet Bayern Munich’s demands for a €30 million transfer fee. The Merseyside outfit were also hoping to move a midfielder on before launching the offensive for Thiago, with Georginio Wijnaldum linked with a move to Barcelona.

Hansi #Flick on @Thiago6: "Thiago is an exceptional player who spent seven hugely successful years here. He's a wonderful person and an outstanding professional. It was very emotional today when he said goodbye to us all." #FCBayern #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/QBU0O0UPmf

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) September 17, 2020

Liverpool, though, had to accelerate their attempts to sign Thiago this week after Bayern asserted that any move will have to be completed before the start of the 2020/21 Bundesliga season. The Premier League champions have now reached an agreement with their German counterparts over a €30 million deal, with Thiago set to sign a four-year contract.

With all the details of the transfer nearly set in stone, a formal announcement is all that is left, especially after Karl-Heinz Rummenigge practically confirmed the move. A new phase now beckons the former Barcelona midfielder and it will be interesting to see if he enjoy even more success at Liverpool.