JUR GETTING A ‘GREAT MAN’
THIAGO IS ‘OUTSTANDING’, BAYERN BOSS TELLS LIVERPOOL WITH £20M DEAL NEAR
LIVERPOOL have been congratulated on signing an ‘exceptional player’ in Thiago Alcantara – by selling club Bayern Munich.
The champions are close to completing the move after coming to an agreement which satisfies Bayern’s desire to get £27million for the Spain international – the Reds will pay £20m with a further £5m available in add-ons. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had previously tried to play down the speculation, saying only it was ‘nice that we are linked with him’. But now a deal seems imminent and Bayern boss Hansi Flick could not have been more fulsome in his praise for the 29-year-old as he said his public farewells yesterday. He said: ‘Thiago is an exceptional player who spent seven hugely successful years here. He’s a wonderful person and outstanding professional. It was very emotional when he said goodbye. ‘I can only congratulate Jurgen Klopp as they got a great player and especially a great person.
‘Thiago gave the team a lot of options and made us unpredictable, he solved things in ways you don’t expect. Now we’re losing yet another great player.’
Thiago, whose dad Mazinho was a World Cup winner with Brazil in 1994,
I congratulate Jurgen Klopp – Thiago is a wonderful person
will be Liverpool’s second addition of the summer after the signing of Greece left-back Kostas Tsimikas. Thiago, who had a year to run on his contract, joined Bayern from Barcelona in 2013 and was in the side that won the Champions League last month.
His arrival will increase speculation that Georginio Wijnaldum could be on his way to Barcelona as he enters the final year of his Anfield deal.