- Real Madrid have been offered former Barcelona midfielder, Thiago Alcantara.
- They will face competition from the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool for his signature.
Thiago, who moved from Barcelona to Bayern Munich back in 2013, came through the ranks of the famed La Masia academy. The Bundesliga champions are now looking to cash in on the Spaniard after he recently declined a contract extension with the club.
Real Madrid offered ex-Barcelona man Thiago Alcantara
Thiago Alcantara looks set to leave German champions Bayern Munich, with reported interest from Premier League powerhouses Liverpool and Manchester United. Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently admitted that the Spain international has refused to sign a new contract with the Bavarian giants.
Speaking in an interview, Rummenigge said:
“In fact, the talks Hasan (Hasan Salihamidzic, Sporting Director of Bayern Munich) had with him have always been very productive. And at some point, it actually seemed that it was done [a new contract at Bayern]. But then Thiago informed Hasan that he would like to do something new. We have to accept that.”
The 29-year-old has one year left on his contract, with the German giants looking to avoid losing him on a free in the following summer. The link-up to Real Madrid seems curious given that the La Liga champions have similar players in the likes of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Isco.
Real Madrid have been linked with a move for midfielders Eduardo Camavinga of Rennes and Paul Pogba of Manchester United. However, they seem likely to be priced out of either deal due to the financial complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Real Madrid have already sold full-back Achraf Hakimi to Inter Milan for a fee of 40 million euros, with ongoing negotiations to sell Borja Mayoral and Oscar Rodriguez underway. The Madrid giants are also looking to offload the likes of James Rodriguez and Gareth Bale, who are on high wages and in the periphery of the first team.
Although Thiago will add depth and balance to any midfield in the world, Zinedine Zidane will probably want to concentrate on integrating future stars like Federico Valverde as opposed to investing in an ageing star like the former Barcelona man.
