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Thiago to Liverpool transfer: 5 key questions about potential summer move

  /  autty

It is a transfer rumour that has come pretty much out of the blue, but all of a sudden the stories linking Thiago Alcantara to Liverpool are refusing to go away.

The Bayern Munich midfielder is believed to have his heart set on a summer move to Jurgen Klopp's new Premier League champions, and Klopp himself has confirmed that he is a fan of a player he came up against when he was manager of Borussia Dortmund.

Is that enough to make the deal happen though? Well, no.

But there are plenty of other questions to take into account surrounding a deal that, even if you believe it could happen or not, is certainly an interesting one to consider.

Here are five of those very questions.

1. Is it actually going to happen?

It is certainly starting to look as though both parties are very open to it.

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and manager Hansi Flick have both been almost disarmingly open and honest about the player's desire to leave this summer, with Flick also essentially confirming that Thiago wanted a move to the Premier League.

Of course wanting it to happen and actually getting it over the line are different things entirely, and it could be the financial details on both sides are what determines whether this stands or falls.

Liverpool have been quite open about how financial uncertainty will affect both their finances and their moves in the transfer market this summer, but if this is a deal that makes sense for them then there would appear to be few obstacles in the way of it.

2. He's 29 though, wouldn't signing him be completely against the club's policy?

Yes, in a word.

But maybe policies have completely gone out out of the window during what are unprecedented times?

It had appeared as though the Reds were geared up for a busy summer of bringing in some younger talents before the pandemic made everything so uncertain, so perhaps the idea of signing a ready-made top class performer has suddenly gained some traction in the corridors of power?

Adding to the pool of talent in this way could help them stay on top for a year while still plotting to bring down the age of the squad eventually.

3. Do Liverpool really need him though?

A deep-lying midfielder who can also play as a No.8 isn't exactly the first position you'd think that the new Premier League champions would be crying out to fill, but maybe that's the point.

Klopp likes to chop and change his midfield on almost a game-by-game basis, leaving the defence and attack largely untouched.

He can never really have enough options in there, and with Adam Lallana leaving, James Milner not able to go on forever (believe it or not) and Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum asked to play a lot of football this season, maybe he feels another top-class option is warranted.

In addition, the fact that Fabinho can also play as a centre-back - something we've already seen since the restart and could become more frequent should Dejan Lovren leave - could also open up a vacancy in certain matches when the Reds are on the front foot.

4. Where and how would he play?

He'd be comfortable anywhere across the midfield, with the exact positions determined on a game-by-game basis as it often is it Liverpool.

One exciting thought is what he could do for the games and outputs of Sadio Mane and Mo Salah though, particularly as he is so used to playing behind pace in wide areas at Bayern.

With Liverpool often getting so much of their creativity through Roberto Firmino in the centre, he could be a valuable creative force from a little further back, and offer Liverpool the sort of thing that that they have sometimes missed when Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have been injured or misfiring.

5. What does this mean for others in the squad?

It doesn't have to mean anything, although Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain would perhaps be feeling his arrival a little more than others.

Both of those players have had excellent games in a Liverpool shirt though, and they would continue to be valuable members of Klopp's plans who would get more than their fair share of minutes.

Wijnaldum is a player who may feel a little bit of pressure too, especially with his contract running out next year.

The Dutchman remains one of the most important cogs in Klopp's Liverpool machine though, for now, although all squads must evolve eventually, even title-winning ones.