Stefan Bajcetic transfer agreed as Liverpool denies Thiago Alcantara wish

Red Bull Salzburg has reached an agreement to sign Stefan Bajcetic on loan in a blow to Barcelona , who tried to hijack the deal on the recommendation of Thiago Alcantara .

Salzburg was looking to sign Bajcetic and faced competition from Barcelona after Marc Bernal suffered a knee ligament injury. However, the La Liga giants failed to finalize a deal, with Salzburg reportedly able to complete the negotiations that were already well advanced when Barcelona entered the picture.

According to The Athletic, Bajcetic has left Salzburg on a temporary basis for the 2024-25 season, with Liverpool receiving a fee. The Spanish U-21 international is set to travel to Austria to complete the move.

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Former Liverpool star Thiago retired at the end of last season following the expiry of his Anfield contract. But just weeks after returning to Barcelona to take up a temporary coaching position on Hansi Flick’s staff, the Spaniard is back in Merseyside after having his contract terminated .

The 33-year-old reportedly spoke to his ex-teammate Bajcetic about the possibility of joining Barcelona over Salzburg. However, Salzburg also has Liverpool connections - former assistant Pep Lijnders is now their manager and midfielder Bobby Clark just signed from the Reds in a $13.2 million move.

While Barcelona appeared a more favorable destination for Bajcetic for a number of reasons, he was likely to receive less playing time than in Austria. Especially once coveted midfield dynamos Gavi and Frenkie de Jong have recovered from their own long-term injuries.

Bajcetic joined Liverpool from Celta Vigo’s youth team in 2020. He has made 22 first-team appearances for the club, impressing as he broke into the side in the 2022-23 campaign.

However, the 19-year-old has suffered injury problems in the past 18 months. Bajcetic sustained an abductor injury in March 2023, which ruled him out for the remainder of the season and he also missed plenty of time with a calf issue.

Last season, Bajcetic made just three appearances for Liverpool. His only Premier League minutes came as a substitute in the 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur back in May.

With Bajcetic gone, Liverpool have Harvey Elliott , Wataru Endo, Curtis Jones , Dominik Szoboszlai , Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch as their central midfield options, as well as academy graduate Trey Nyoni.