Real Madrid linked with move for Bayern’s Thiago

In one of the least surprising stories of the summer, Bayern’s midfield maestro Thiago is being heavily linked with a move to his once arch-nemsis, Real Madrid. Now under the reign of Thiago’s former Spanish head coach, Julen Lopetegui, ‘Telemadrid’ (via Sport.es) repots that the perennial Champions League winners are keen on reuniting the pair as they look to rebuild following Zinedine Zidane’s shocking exit earlier this month.

Several reports have indicated that Bayern are open to selling the 27-year-old provided they receive an offer that matches their valuation of the player. Thiago’s former club, Barcelona, have also been earmarked as potential suitors.

It makes sense that Lopetegui would like to work with Thiago again, considering the success they’ve shared anytime their paths have crossed. In 2013, the pair helped lead Spain to U21 European Championship honours, while Thiago was a constant starter in the senior side’s midfield following the appointment of Lopetegui in 2016. Having a supremely technical player join up with the world-class talent already in Real’s team in Toni Kroos and Luka Modric is a mouth-watering prospect that Madrid will find hard to resist should Thiago become available.

That last part is the most important, however. With the arrival of Leon Goretzka from Schalke 04, it remains to be seen whether Bayern will feel the need to offload any of their current midfielders. Should they refuse to move on from Arturo Vidal or Javi Martinez, while also ensuring James Rodriguez is not lost in the shuffle, it’s possible the board could negotiate the sale of Thiago. If that’s the case, then the more interest there is in Thiago the better for Bayern, as initiating a bidding war between both Spanish giants is bound to benefit the club’s coffers.