Barcelona have assigned a hefty price tag to Thiago Alcântara
After meeting with Bayern president Uli Hoeneß, new head coach Niko Kovač decided to transfer-list Thiago. And now, the Bayern management have named their price for the 27-year old midfielder, €70 million.
Thiago has attracted the attention of Barcelona in the last few weeks. The playmaker left the club after Gerardo Martino took over to join Pep Guardiola’s Bayern side. He matured as a player there to become a world-class talent.
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But he was always close to Barcelona players, as a part of Vicente del Bosque and then, Julen Lopetegui’s Spain setup. And now, the La Masia graduate may be in for a return to his boyhood club.
He is the ideal signing for the club. In fact, the club should discard the Arthur signing, which will cost around €40 million to re-sign Thiago. The midfielder would be able to provide Ivan Rakitić with some much-needed competition, and truly succeed Xavi in the squad.
But the club’s negotiators will need to work hard to sign Thiago. Although he is a brilliant player, €70 million is a hefty fee for him. The club should try to negotiate with Bayern, and bring their asking price down to around €50 million, which is a more reasonable fee for the 27-year old.
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He would not need to adapt, having graduated from La Masia. He would not need to forge a new understanding with his teammates, and could gel well with them, having played with the likes of Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Piqué.