Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on Thiago Alcantara’s status at Liverpool amid recent transfer links surrounding a potential exit for the midfielder.
The Athletic reported in recent days of the 32-year-old rejecting a ‘lucrative’ offer from Saudi Arabia, while Fanatik claimed (via Sport Witness) that Galatasaray vice-president Erden Timur held talks with the player about a possible move to Istanbul and presented a ‘very good offer’ to him.
The Spain international’s absence from team training on the first day of the Reds’ pre-season preparations may also have left some Kopites worried, but one reliable reporter has offered quick reassurance on the matter.
Tweeting a photo of Thiago at the club’s training base in Kirkby earlier on Saturday, Romano stated: “Here’s Thiago Alcantara today back at AXA — only focused on Liverpool, no advanced negotiations with any club as things stand.”
Even if the midfielder didn’t feature among training ground images shared on Liverpool’s official website, it could be the case that he isn’t quite ready to be out on the grass as he continues his recovery from the hip injury which prematurely ended his 2022/23 campaign.
Also, despite a claim from Fanatik (via Sport Witness) that the 32-year-old welcomed the apparent offer from Galatasaray, Romano is one of the most reliable reporters in the business, so for him to claim that the player’s focus is on his current club should reassure anyone who feared a potential exit.
Thiago is into the final year of his contract at Anfield and is among the 16 players taking up a non-homegrown berth in Jurgen Klopp’s squad, with 17 the maximum permitted, but he still brings plenty to the team when at his best due to his exquisite technical quality.
Also, young teammates like Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajcetic could continue to learn plenty from a positional peer who’s twice won the Champions League and represented some of the most illustrious clubs in European football.
Of course things can change between now and the end of the transfer window, but for the moment it seems that Thiago’s immediate future lies with Liverpool.
You can see Romano’s tweet below, via @FabrizioRomano on Twitter:
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