Barcelona have reportedly registered a shock interest in signing Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara in the summer.
According to an exclusive report from El Gol Digital, FC Barcelona are mulling over a shock move for Thiago Alcantara. It appears their newly elected president Joan Laporta is keen on ringing in the changes following a few troublesome years. Although the 58-year-old is primarily looking to extend the contracts of existing stars, he has also expressed in signing former players.
Currently plying his trade at Liverpool, Thiago Alcantara was a member of La Masia youth academy, even making 100 competitive appearances for Barcelona. Unfortunately, his association with the Catalan giants did not last long, as he joined Bayern Munich in 2013, reuniting with his favourite coach Pep Guardiola.
Thiago’s contributions were integral in Bayern’s unmatched success in German football under Guardiola, with the Spanish international later going on to even win the UEFA Champions League as well as the treble last season.
Last summer, though, the 29-year-old end his time at Allianz Arena, joining Liverpool at the request of Jurgen Klopp. Unfortunately for him, things have not worked out well, with the midfielder seemingly failing to get used to Klopp’s more direct style of play, where holding onto the ball for long disrupts the flow of the team.
In many ways, Thiago has appeared to be a tactical misfit in the Liverpool side that has been woefully underperforming since the turn of the year. Barcelona, however, are well aware of his talents, with Laporta keen on securing his services in the upcoming summer transfer window.
It appears the Catalans have identified the former La Masia youth graduate as the ideal short-term replacement for Sergio Busquets, who has endured an evident decline over the last couple of years. Thiago could, thus, form an excellent partnership in midfield alongside Frenkie de Jong.
The 29-year-old is already quite familiar with Barcelona’s style of play and should find it easier to settle into Ronald Koeman’s setup. However, it might be a tricky task for the Spanish giants to convince Liverpool to offload the Spaniard, even though the player is reportedly ready to rejoin his former club.
Thiago still has two years left on his current contract with Liverpool, and Barcelona may have to end up paying a fortune to the Reds in order to secure the transfer. It does not bode well for the club given the current financial climate so it will be interesting to see what the future holds for this talented midfielder this summer.
