KEY POINTS

  • Liverpool have agreed to sign Bayern's Alcantara this summer, The Athletic reported
  • The agreed fee is expected to be around $35 million, the report said
  • Alcantara has won seven Bundesliga titles in as many seasons with Bayern

Liverpool FC have reportedly agreed to sign Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich on a four-year deal at the ongoing summer transfer window.

English publication The Athletic reported Liverpool have stepped up and accepted Bayern Munich’s demands of $35 million for the 29-year-old midfielder. Alcantara, who will be given the No. 6 jersey, is set to sign a four-year deal with the Anfield side.

Soccer journalist Fabrizio Romano, who has a credible record of breaking transfer news in European soccer, also tweeted that in the next few hours, the club is set to discuss the personal terms with Alcantara.

"What a signing for the Premier League champions," tweeted James Pearce, The Athletic's Liverpool journalist.

It is understood Bayern Munich had demanded the speeding up of Alcantara’s transfer process as it wanted to seal it before they began their 2020-21 Bundesliga campaign, The Athletic reported. The defending champions' opening fixture is scheduled to take place Saturday and is against Schalke.

Jurgen Klopp had been asked to sell a player from his current squad to accommodate Alcantara in the club’s wage structure. While there has been no report about Liverpool selling any player, they are soon to make their second signing of this summer after the arrival of left-back Kostas Tsimikas from Greek club Olympiacos. Klopp is believed to be a huge admirer of 29-year-old Alcantara, who scored 31 goals for Bayern Munich during his seven-year stint in the German capital.

Thiago Alcantara
Bayern Munich celebrate Thiago Alcantara's goal in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup. Reuters

Alcantara moved from FC Barcelona to Bayern Munich in 2013. Over the last seven years, the Spaniard won as many Bundesliga titles along with various other trophies, including the latest 2019-20 Champions League. Alcantara has one year left in his current deal. After a terrific treble-winning season, he decided to look for another challenge.

Recently, the midfielder was also linked with a move back to Barcelona. While Barcelona’s new boss Ronald Koeman has been chasing Liverpool’s Gini Wijnaldum, it has been reported the club board has been forcing the Dutchman to instead bring back Alcantara to Nou Camp. However, Koeman in a recent interview confirmed unless the club sold a player, it will not be making any new signing this summer. Koeman even added he could well go with the same group of players into the 2020-21 season.

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