Bayern Munich will allow Thiago Alcantara to join a new team this summer provided the buying club will pay the price required for the Spaniard's release, set by the Bavarians at around £30 million. The midfielder is rumored for months now to be a signing target by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
If Klopp's side will make an offer, Thiago, whose contract with Bayern will expire next year, can proceed to make the jump to Anfield. According to Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the 29-year-old will be sent to England in exchange for "a fair transfer fee."
The club chief also confirmed that Thiago had declined to extend his seven-year spell at the Allianz Arena, which the German giants interpreted as the player wanting to seek new challenges outside of Bundesliga.
Goal reported that Bayern manager Hansi Flick has admitted that Thiago is unlikely to wear the club shirt for the next term. The coach said the Spaniard's exit would be a big loss to his side but he understood that Thiago wants to play in the Premier League.
"I would like, as a coach, to have him on the team for the next few years, but that's life. It would go on," Flick was reported as saying.
It is understood that the Spanish playmaker has already made the formal transfer request and Rummenigge gave an assurance that Thiago will get his wish granted. The executive, however, reminded that the player's release will greatly depend on the offer that will be presented to Bayern.
To date, however, the anticipated bid from Anfield has yet to reach Germany and this despite the reported recent conversation between Klopp and Thiago. According to Metro, that talk further convinced the midfielder that he wants to campaign next with the Liverpool squad.
The delay on Klopp's part was not because the German is not sold on the Bayern star. The Reds boss has made clear that he is a long-time admirer of Thiago but the current situation at Anfield prevents him from grabbing the Spanish talent.
Football analyst Fabrizio Romano said Klopp's hands are tied despite the desire to get Thiago to play in England. That's because money is tight at Anfield at the moment and the fee demanded by Bayern for Thiago's release is too high.
"Liverpool don't want to pay Bayern's asking price and have not submitted a bid," Romano was reported as saying.
This position by the English club was manifested in the recent decision to abandon the talks that would have allowed Timo Werner to play with Klopp's side. But Werner's £55 million price tag proved too expensive for Liverpool.
In addition, Klopp has assessed that his midfield options at the moment do not require an immediate upgrading, meaning the planned signing of Thiago can still wait.
