It’s a strange transfer battle that is set to come to an end soon. Liverpool have spent the least out of any Premier League big six club this summer transfer window, but they are closing in on acquiring Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich.
They’ll beat out arch-rivals Manchester United to his signature, the big six club that was the last to sign a new player this summer. According to multiple outlets, Thiago will join the Merseyside club for a sum of £20 million.
https://twitter.com/AnfieldWatch/status/1306550585760645120
According to Sky Sports, the Thiago contract will be for four years, with the potential for another £5m in add-ons, bringing the deal to potentially 30 million Euro in total. It’s a bargain price for the 29-year-old Spaniard, who will reportedly will wear the No. 6 jersey.
That’s because Bayern Munich had to negotiate from a position of weakness due to
1.) the public admission that he wants out this summer and
2.) his contract being up next summer, so the Bavarian giants had to cash in with whatever they could now, or risk losing him on a Bosman transfer in 2021.
It’s a transfer saga that has gone on for quite some time this summer, so it’s refreshing to see it come to resolution, well ahead of Oct. 5 deadline day. For Liverpool, it’s just the second pick-up this window, after Greek full back Kostas Tsimkias.
For United, well Thiago marks yet another midfielder/winger/forward that they targeted, but will miss out on acquiring. It’s been a dreadful transfer window at Old Trafford.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.