Liverpool prepared to accept €12m to ‘close deal’ for midfielder with Tottenham man Barcelona’s ‘plan B’

Thiago Alcantara could be leaving Liverpool this summer.

Liverpool are prepared to allow Thiago Alcantara to leave for Barcelona this summer if they receive a €12m bid, according to reports.

The Reds have already sealed the signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai this summer after Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner all left the club on free transfers.

World Cup winner Mac Allister joined in a bargain £35m deal from Premier League side Brighton, while Szoboszlai arrived in a £60m transfer from German outfit RB Leipzig.

Those two signings could go a long way to solving their midfield issues from last season but now Jurgen Klopp could have another problem with Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago all linked with moves away.

Fabinho was yesterday left out of Liverpool’s squad to travel to Germany for a training camp and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed today that the Brazilian has said “yes” to a transfer to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad.

Romano wrote on Twitter: “Fabinho said ‘yes’ to Al-Ittihad. He had a conversation with the manager, Nuno [Espirit Santo], who really wants him. Now it’s crucial for the two clubs to reach an agreement for Fabinho to become a new Al-Ittihad player.”

Romano added in a later tweet: “Liverpool and Al Ittihad are discussing key details of Fabinho deal — including installments, payment terms and more after official proposal submitted. Fabinho agreed terms after speaking to Nuno but clubs need to negotiate details before green light. Talks on, even today.”

Henderson has also been linked to Saudi Arabia, with Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq understood to be willing to offer him a contract worth around £700k a week, but doubts have emerged that they are willing to pay a transfer fee.

And Thiago has been linked with a return to Barcelona, where he spent the first four seasons of his professional career before moving on to Bayern Munich.

Spanish publication Nacional claim that Liverpool have ‘asked Barcelona for €12m to close the deal’ for the Spain international and now ‘everything depends on Xavi’.

Liverpool have ‘opened the exit door for him’ this summer and the ‘great obsession’ of Xavi’s is to reinforce the Catalan giants’ midfield before the end of the transfer window.

After sealing a deal for Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer, Barcelona boss Xavi ‘wants more’ with a deal for Thiago ‘now within reach’.

Liverpool have set an ‘affordable’ price tag of €12m (£10.3m) for the Spaniard and now Barcelona are just waiting for ‘the go-ahead’ from Xavi in order to ‘activate the transfer’.

If he doesn’t fancy bringing his former team-mate back to the Camp Nou, then Barcelona have a ‘plan B’ for Xavi in the form of Tottenham midfielder Giovani Lo Celso.

He has no future at Tottenham after spending last season on loan at Villarreal but the report adds that a stumbling block could be Daniel Levy’s insistence to ‘sell expensive’.