In a move that was heavily predicted since the end of the Champions League campaign last month, Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara is leaving the current European Champions to join the team who were champions the season before. The Spaniard will sign a four deal, with the transfer fee set at £20m, with the option of rising to £25m depending on Liverpool’s success in both the Premier League and the Champions League.
A couple of weeks ago the rather outspoken Uli Hoeness had talked of blackmail from England as both Liverpool and Manchester Utd made attempts to sign the midfielder. On a BBC 5 Live interview around the same time Jürgen Klopp somewhat disingenuously said he’d had no idea that Thiago had requested extra time off before the start of the season until the interviewer told him.
For his part Thiago seems to want to start a new chapter in his career while he still has time (he is only 29). Having won seven Bundesliga titles and four DFB Cups in his seven season in Bavaria, culminating in the Champions League victory against PSG in August, it is hard to see what else he has left to achieve in the game in Germany. With only a year left on his contract Bayern have at least mananged to get some value out of the transfer even thought the club heirachy were desperately keen that he stayed.
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