The departure of Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich, which seemed like an impossibility just a few months ago, is starting to look inevitable. According to a report by AZ, the Spaniard already said goodbye to the referees and the DFL officials at the Pokal final against Leverkusen. Liverpool are the rumored destination, with Jurgen Klopp said to be a big fan of the player.
As per AZ’s report, Thiago thanked the German referees present at the game, telling them they were the best referees in the world. He also said goodbye to the DFL officials. No word on what he said to his teammates, but the goodbyes are pretty telling. Since arriving in Munich from Barcelona all the way back in 2013, Thiago has never given any indication that he wanted a move elsewhere. Even when Pep Guardiola went to Manchester City, the Spaniard stood fast and refuted rumors that he would follow the Catalan to England.
So what’s brought about this change of heart? It’s impossible to speculate. At least AZ tells us that Bayern Munich have slapped a 35m euro fee on Thiago, which will make it tough for Liverpool to get him. However, with his contract running out next season, the player has all the leverage. If he wants to go, there’s no way the bosses can stop him — running down his contract would be easy at this stage.
At Leroy Sané’s presentation, Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said the following (kicker):
“The state of affairs with Thiago is that Hasan [Salihamidzic] had talks with Thiago, that were curiously positive, but he but then he told Hasan some time ago that he’d like to do something new at the end of his career. At present, we still have not been contacted by any club that would like to enter negotiations with us.”
Rummenigge clarified that Thiago (and David Alaba) will participate in Bayern’s Champions League campaign in August. “Then we’ll see. I observe that transfer fees between clubs have dropped significantly.”
Finally, AZ gives us some speculative info about Bayern’s midfield situation, saying that with Thiago leaving and both Javi Martinez and Corentin Tolisso being unreliable, Flick will want a new midfielder in the squad. That new midfielder being Kai Havertz, of course. We can safely dismiss this possibility, as buying Kai Havertz is impossible for the Bavarians at the moment owing to Leverkusen’s transfer demands. The player is more likely to move to Chelsea.
This entire report is disappointing to read for a Bayern Munich fan. Hopefully, it’s off base and Thiago signs a surprise contract extension when the Champions League is over. Maybe he’ll a change of heart in the coming weeks. He’s such a talented player, it would be a shame to lose him to Liverpool. We hope he doesn’t go.
Small update: KHR spoke about Javi Martinez in his press conference. His contract runs out next summer and he hasn’t been offered an extension. Could he stay if Thiago leaves?
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge hat bestätigt, dass in der Causa Javi #Martínez nach wie vor keine Entscheidung gefallen ist. Der Spieler selbst will sich erst Gedanken machen und mit Angeboten befassen, wenn die Saison vorüber ist. Sein großes Ziel: der 2. CL-Titel mit dem FC Bayern.
— Kerry Hau (@kerry_hau) July 23, 2020
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has confirmed that in the Javi #Martínez case still no decision has been made. The player himself only wants to think and deal with offers when the season is over. His big goal: the 2nd CL title with FC Bayern.
Let’s hope he achieves that big goal, at least.
Update
Who was asking this?
Because of a few requests: #Rakitic is no topic at #FCBayern - in the case that #Thiago will leave the club this summer. @SPORT1 #FCBarcelona
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) July 23, 2020