Report: Bayern asking €70M for Thiago

Sport English has reported that Bayern Munich has placed a €70M price tag on the head of crafty midfielder, Thiago Alcantara. Thiago, who has been linked to FC Barcelona in recent weeks, could be inching closer to a move back to the Catalans.

The idea that Thiago Alcantara could return to Barcelona is gaining more traction every day. As soon as Bayern Munich made the player available for transfer, Barcelona have been considering a move for the Spanish central midfielder. With Andres Iniesta now in Japan, it’s an area of the team which needs improving this summer. The only problem is the price, although that might not turn out to be the case. Bayern want to sell as they look to remodel their squad and are open to negotiation.

The report states that the price could be lowered if Barcelona is willing to part with left back Lucas Digne, a 24-year old Frenchmen who is not a regular starter for Barcelona.

This means that a deal could suit all parties as the German club is unlikely to ask for an astronomical fee. At the moment Bayern say they would consider €70m but they’re aware that this price is likely to put off most interested teams. As such, Bayern are willing to lower that price if a footballer going the other way was included in the deal. That player would be Lucas Digne.

Digne’s value is estimated between €15m and €20m, but has found his development roadblocked by Jordi Alba.

For this reason, the €70m that Bayern are asking for could drop to €50m if Digne is part of the deal. That €50m could even be reduced to around €40m, which for someone as talented as Thiago, would look like very good business for Barcelona.

While Digne has potential, his playing would likely not increase much in Munich as David Alaba is entrenched at the left back position. Similarly, Bayern is loaded in the central midfield with Thiago, Arturo Vidal, Corentin Tolisso, Javi Martinez, Sebastian Rudy, Leon Goretzka, and occasionally James Rodriguez, which is forcing Bayern to look at ways to create less of a traffic jam at the position.

In recent days, Vidal and Rudy have been linked to an exit from Munich, which could represent a changing of the guard within that central midfield group. It would appear that only Goretzka and Tolisso are locks to remain on the roster this summer, with everyone else at play for a move. A realistic number could be that two or three of the aforementioned players leave Munich via transfer or loan in the coming weeks.