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Fabrizio Romano has shared his latest information on the future of Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara.
The 32-year-old is into the final six months of his contract at Anfield, and having not played since last April due to a long-standing hip injury (although he’s in line to return this month), there’s a distinct possibility that he won’t be offered a new deal.
It’s also been reported (via The Mirror) that his former club Barcelona want to bring him back to Camp Nou to ease their shortfall in midfield. However, the Italian transfer reporter has indicated that any exit for the Spain international isn’t imminent.
In his Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside, Romano wrote: “Despite the rumours, no, I’m not aware of any movement for Thiago Alcantara right now.
“It’s a very quiet January for him so far, no talks and focus on Liverpool as he wants to return as soon as possible on the pitch. The story could change in the summer, but now it’s very quiet.”
With Thiago being Liverpool’s third-highest earner on £200,000 per week (Capology), and given his age and contract status, there might be a school of thought that cashing in on him in January would make sense.
However, Jurgen Klopp has already seen numerous members of his squad succumb to injuries this season, and dispensing of a player of the 32-year-old’s ability in that context would be reckless in the extreme.
Even if the ex-Barcelona maestro doesn’t play a whole lot of football between now and May, his experience of winning major trophies could be a priceless commodity within the Anfield dressing room, while his availability could also help with that all-important rotation when the fixtures come thick and fast in the spring.
Having patiently gone through months of rehabilitation, Thiago will have the enthusiasm of a greyhound waiting to be sprung from the traps as he nears a return to action.
The value of keeping hold of him for the rest of the campaign and drawing upon his qualities to potentially get us over the line in a Premier League title race, before he departs for free in the summer (unless his contract is extended), would far exceed taking the money now and being deprived of a sublime footballer for the run-in.
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