Barcelona are plotting a surprise move to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara and bring him back to Nou Camp. The Spanish international, who came through the ranks at Barca before playing over 65 times for the club, was sold to the German side in 2013 for €25 million.
And Bild have now reported that the Catalan club’s board want to re-sign Thiago, who has just one year remaining on his current deal with Bayern. The report further states that new Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman is not keen on signing the 29-year-old, and wants to instead bring Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum from Liverpool.
Wijnaldum was coached by Koeman when he was in charge of the Dutch national team. Thiago had been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool, but there’s not been much progress on that deal.
Thiago Alcantara: Is he what the team needs?
Thiago has had a glittering spell with Bayern Munich, with whom he has won 7 Bundesliga titles, as well as the Champions League earlier this year. The Spanish international was a key part of the Bayern team that played scintillating football in the 2019-20 season, including the 8-2 mauling of Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final.
The 29-year-old is a creative genius in the middle of the pitch, one who can create chances from nothing, operating at a very high technical level, running rings around the opposition. Many Barca fans have rued the club’s decision to let go of Thiago all those years ago, as he would have been the perfect replacement for Iniesta in the midfield.
But, it seems like he is not the type of player that Barca need at the moment.
The club already have two creative midfielders in Miralem Pjanic – who joined the club earlier this year, and Dutch youngster, Frenkie de Jong, who is seen as the present and future of the Barca midfield. The team needs a hard-working midfielder who can play from box-to-box, be a threat offensively while also win back the ball in the centre of the pitch.
These are the qualities that Wijnaldum has, and he would make for a good fit alongside the likes of de Jong, Pjanic or Busquets. If Barcelona hadn’t signed Pjanic, a move for Thiago would have made sense. They could have too many similar players in the middle of the park, and the need of the hour is finding the right balance in the team which is bristling with attacking potential but lagging behind when it comes to a having a stable spine.
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