Fabrizio Romano delivers final verdict on bizarre Liverpool transfer that would hang Klopp out to dry
Fabrizio Romano has delivered a decisive triple update on whether a head-scratching Liverpool transfer that’d leave Jurgen Klopp irate will take place.
The English winter window has long since shut, though Premier League sides can still sell or loan players to clubs whose windows remain open.
In lieu of the tragic earthquake that struck the region, FIFA recently granted the Turkish FA permission to extend their winter window until March 5.
As such, Turkey’s top teams are being increasingly linked with making last-gasp moves for Premier League players.
One such player who’s been the subject of links to Fenerbahce is Mason Greenwood of Man Utd. Elsewhere, Turkish outlet fotoMac reported Fenerbahce were sizing up Liverpool’s Thiago Alcantara.
The Turkish giant were understood to be exploring a move for the classy Spaniard and have set aside a modest €8m (approx. £7.1m) for the transfer fee.
Liverpool’s stance on a Thiago exit had not yet been reported. However, selling the 31-year-old who – along with Stefan Bajcetic – has been among Liverpool’s rare bright sparks in midfield this season would be unthinkable.
That statement rings doubly true given the remarkable drop-off from many of Thiago’s compatriots in the middle.
With a late-season surge required to qualify for the Champions League, one can only imagine how Liverpool selling Thiago in early-March would have gone down with Jurgen Klopp.
But per Fabrizio Romano, the German boss need not fear.
The transfer guru responded to the Thiago to Fenerbahce rumours with a decisive triple update.
Thiago to Fenerbahce? No chance
Romano stated on Twitter: “There are no chances, no contacts and nothing true into the links between Thiago Alcantara and Fenerbahce.”
The reporter concluded Thiago is “only focused on the Liverpool project.”
While that avenue is now closed, Liverpool may not be out of the woods just yet.
Calciomercato recently reported AC Milan are sizing up the Spanish midfielder for the summer.
AC are on course to qualify for next season’s UCL and will hope their presence in that competition gives them an advantage in any negotiations. Of course, Liverpool could remove that threat by simply finishing inside the top four themselves.
There’s no indication Liverpool actually want to sell Thiago, though a decision on his future will have to be made sooner rather than later.
His current deal expires in the summer of 2024 and Liverpool will be reluctant to let him enter the final year of his contract.
The Reds are poised to lose both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita as free agents at the end of the season.
While both players haven’t shown their best at Anfield in recent times, the fact a transfer fee won’t be recouped for either star means Liverpool will have less to spend on new recruits than they otherwise should have.
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