"There has been no change to his situation" - Fabrizio Romano speaks out on Liverpool star's future amid links with a move to Barcelona
Renowned football journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara is no closer to a move to Barcelona than he was months ago. He provided the information as a response to speculation that the Spanish club were keen to re-sign the experienced midfielder, who has not appeared this season for the Reds.
Thiago Alcantara is yet to play a single minute for the Reds this season, with a series of injuries curtailing his participation for the side. The 32-year-old was the subject of speculation about his future in the summer after Liverpool decided to go ahead with a midfield revolution.
Rumors about the future of Alcantara have returned following the season-ending ACL injury suffered by Barcelona and Spain midfielder Gavi. The former Bayern Munich man has been linked in the summer with a return to his boyhood club where childhood idol Xavi is now manager.
After Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, and Naby Keita left Anfield in the summer, there were rumors of Thiago Alcantara returning to Spain. Fabrizio Romano has now revealed via his CaughtOffside column that once again, these links are just rumors and have no significant backing:
“It’s also worth remembering that Thiago said no to Saudi clubs in July as he wanted to stay at Liverpool. As far as I’m aware there has been no change to his situation since then."
Romano made a previously unknown revelation when he said that Alcantara had received offers from Saudi but chose to remain in the Premier League with Liverpool. The Spanish midfielder has had an injury-plagued spell under Jurgen Klopp, missing 73 games for the Reds since the 2021-22 season, but remains a top-quality player for the German manager.
Liverpool enjoying dividends of summer midfield shakeup
Liverpool carried out a series of radical changes to their midfield setup and composition in the summer, with manager Klopp allowing several players to leave the club. Captain Henderson was joined in Saudi Arabia by Fabinho, while the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner, and Keita were allowed to leave for free.
The Reds spent significantly to sign younger midfielders, including Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch, while also signing an experienced midfielder in Wataru Endo. These players have all settled well into the club and are looking like quality additions to the side as the Reds are doing exceedingly well in the Premier League title race.
Klopp will be pleased with the business carried out by his club in the summer as it provided players with a different skill set from what he had before. The German manager is perfect to help his young midfielders attain their full potential at the club.