Bayern Munich are happy to let Liverpool linked Thiago Alcantara leave the Bundesliga champions after their offer of a three-year contract went down like a lead balloon in the Allianz Arena boardroom, according to BILD.
While this Spanish schemer might be one of the most influential and creative midfielders on the planet, the sort of footballer who puts ‘beautiful’ in the beautiful game, you can understand why Bayern would be a little reluctant to tie him down until 2025.
After all, Thiago is already 29 years of age.
And, with a long and winding history of injuries, it is hard to imagine the former Barcelona wonderkid dominating games at the highest level until he is 34 – even if you can count on one hand the midfielders who outrank him when it comes to technique and precision.
While the extent of Liverpool’s interest remains unclear, BILD claims that Thiago does indeed have plenty of admirers within the walls at Anfield.
The Premier League champions are not going to pay the £36 million Bayern want, however – with a half-price fee of £18 million as far as they are willing to go.
BILD adds that Bayern have decided to cash in on the seven-time Bundesliga champion this summer to avoid losing him on a free in 12 months’ time.
And it seems more unlikely than ever that fresh terms can be agreed.
Thiago broke off negotiations with the Bayern board after they failed to meet his demands of a four-year deal – and that did not exactly go well with the big bosses in Bavaria.
‘Thiago is a really good player, like a lot of other players out there who I like a lot,’ Klopp told The Times when asked about the links. ‘But that is all I have to say about it.’”
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