Liverpool are pushing ahead with their plans to sign Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich and have made contact with the German champions about a move.
That’s according to Bild, who say the Premier League champions made ‘official contact’ with Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic this week to discuss a transfer.
The Spaniard has been heavily linked with a move to Anfield for several months, with him entering the final year of his deal and yet to sign a new contract at the Allianz Arena.
Indeed, reports have indicated that the midfielder won’t be agreeing to a new deal and as such Bayern may need to sell this summer to ensure he does not leave on a free.
That is where Liverpool have come from, looking to take advantage of the situation to secure a bargain deal to improve their midfield.
So far there has been no official bid, but Bild say Liverpool took the first step this week, contacting the Bundesliga champions to discuss Thiago.
They say that manager Jürgen Klopp is ‘enthusiastic’ about the midfielder and believes he is the ‘perfect man’ for his midfield as he is both ‘strong’ in duels but able to ‘serve’ the forwards in his team.
The Reds already have an agreement in place with the player on a contract, although the details of that aren’t made clear.
What is clear is that Thiago has told Bayern he will not sign the four-year deal they have offered and so is on a ‘farewell tour’ with the club in Lisbon for the final Champions League games.
The biggest issue for the transfer is Bayern’s asking price. It’s stated that they want between €30-40m for the midfielder and are ‘not yet satisfied’ with €30m.
That final phrase is a little confusing, though, as it doesn’t make clear whether Liverpool have offered that price or Bayern have stated they won’t accept such a price.
Either way, it seems Liverpool are now stepping up their pursuit. Klopp wants the player, he’s keen on the move, so now they need to find an agreeable price with Bayern for him.
