Thiago stance on Liverpool exit as midfielder linked with Saudi move

Thiago Alcantara has reportedly rejected an offer to leave Liverpool for Saudi Arabia this summer, though the Reds could be willing to sell in order to free up funds for further transfers.

The 32-year-old midfielder arrived at Liverpool from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2020 and has been a popular player at Anfield, despite a patchy injury record.

Thiago featured in 18 Premier League games in 2022/23, playing just 1,256 minutes of football. He has one year left on his current contract and it looks unlikely that he will be offered an extension beyond that.

The Telegraph has reported that the Reds are "willing" to sell Thiago amid interest from Saudi Arabia — the destination of the playmaker's former Liverpool teammate Roberto Firmino.

The report claims that Liverpool are interested in the possibility of selling Thiago now to avoid him leaving on a free next summer, while his departure could free up resources for a move for Southampton's Romeo Lavia — the player top of the shortlist to be Liverpool's next defensive midfield option.

It is highlighted that Thiago is one of Liverpool's highest earners at north of £10m a year, and it is plausible that offloading his wages could be a priority for the Reds' hierarchy before they sanction further arrivals, having already splashed out £95m on Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.

While both Telegraph and Times claim that Saudi Pro League clubs are interested in the midfielder, 90min have gone one further by stating that the midfielder has already rejected a "lucrative offer" from the league that has already attracted Karim Benzema, Ngolo Kante and Steven Gerrard among others. They do not expand on the reasons behind for Thiago's supposed rejection.

Interestingly, it is also 90min's assertion that Jurgen Klopp is keen for Thiago to stick around at Anfield for the final year of his deal to help with the transition to the new era.

With at least eight first-team midfielders — not including Trent Alexander-Arnold — currently at Klopp's disposal for next season, it remains to be seen what the hierarchy of options will look like, whether there will need to be departures and how much game-time a fully fit Thiago can expect if he sticks around.

In addition to potential interest from Saudi Arabia, journalist Neil Jones also reported that Turkish side Fenerbahce are among the clubs keen on Thiago.