Liverpool are willing to let Thiago leave next summer for free rather than sell the midfielder this summer, it has emerged, after he has become the latest star to reject an offer from Saudi Arabia.
The Spaniard, who was restricted to just 18 Premier League appearances last season through injury, has been linked with a move away from Anfield in recent weeks.
Often injured, 32-year-old Thiago’s place in the Reds side is looking more uncertain than in any of the three seasons since he joined the club thanks to the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai in recent weeks, with yet more midfield additions expected before the summer transfer window is over.
According to the Athletic, the Spaniard ‘features highly on the Saudi Pro League’s list of elite targets’ as they look to recruit heavily this summer, having already signed the likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy and Celtic winger Jota.
He has already held talks with representatives from the division, and has reportedly ‘already rejected one lucrative offer’. As it stands, Thiago ‘currently intends to stay put for the 2023-24 season’, when his contract on Merseyside runs out.
Meanwhile, Liverpool themselves have had no approach for the player, and would demand a transfer fee for his departure, though they are ‘happy for him to see out his final year and depart in 2024 as a free agent’.
The Reds continue to look for reinforcements in midfield, and have turned their attentions to Southampton’s Romeo Lavia in a bid to rejuvenate the centre of the pitch.
