Reliable reporter James Pearce has dropped a significant claim regarding Liverpool’s plans for Thiago Alcantara over the next 12 months.
The 32-year-old is entering the final year of his contract at Anfield, having come to the club in September 2020 in the wake of winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich.
The Reds purchased him for £25m at the time (Sky Sports), although they’re unlikely to recoup any of that from the Spain international’s eventual departure.
Pearce wrote for The Athletic: “Thiago is down to the final year of his contract but [Jurgen] Klopp is planning for the season ahead with the former Bayern Munich playmaker on board. The expectation is he will leave on a free in the summer of 2024, when he will be 33.”
This summer, Liverpool have seen Bobby Firmino, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner depart on free transfers.
Although the latter came to the club on the same basis in 2015, the other three cost more than £100m in transfer fees between them, a significant loss for the Reds no matter what way you look at it.
It looks like they could do similar with Thiago next year, so some might question why the club are continually letting players depart with nothing recouped for their initial investment.
However, as Liverpool’s third-highest earner on £200,000 per week (FBref), the Spaniard’s departure will free up a significant chunk of the wage bill, just as the departures of the aforementioned quartet instantly saved the club almost half a million pounds a week on wages alone.
Also, with the ex-Barcelona man turning 33 next April, and the Reds evidently looking to the future of their midfield by purchasing Alexis Mac Allister and being strongly linked with several others, Klopp seems to be firmly planning ahead for life after Thiago.
His exceptional technical qualities will be missed, but the repositioning of Trent Alexander-Arnold and the signing of the Argentine World Cup winner from Brighton should ensure that LFC still have players who can conduct the orchestra from the middle third.
If indeed the 32-year-old does depart for free next summer, let’s just enjoy having him for one more season as a Liverpool player.