Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara is being lined up for a shock return to Barcelona, according to a new report in Spain.
The Spaniard, who made the move to Anfield in the summer of 2020 from Champions League winners Bayern Munich, has little over 12 months remaining on his deal with the Reds and has been cited as a member of Jurgen Klopp's squad that could leave Merseyside this summer.
Spanish publication Diario AS names Thiago as a player being pursued by former team-mate and current Barcelona manager Xavi. The report claims the 31-year-old is one of five European players the runaway La Liga leaders are targeting as part of their midfield overhaul this summer, with former academy prospect Xavi Simmons and Manchester City's Sergio Gomez two others named.
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On Thiago, Diario AS adds: "The penultimate name on the list is Thiago Alcántara. Despite being an important piece for many months in Liverpool, this season, mainly due to injuries, he has lost weight in the team.
"Now that Xavi is looking for another midfielder for the rotation, Thiago would be ideal: he knows the house and would quickly adapt to the style of play. In addition, his seniority is something that the man from Terrassa would welcome now that profiles like Gündoğan are being sought."
Thiago signed for Barcelona as a 14-year-old in 2005 and progressed all the way through the club's famous La Masia academy before being handed his debut by Pep Guardiola in 2009. He would go on to make over appearances for the five-time Champions League winners before Guardiola prised him to Bayern Munich in 2013.
Thiago has been sidelined since the middle of February due to a problem with a hip flexor, but manager Klopp revealed on Friday that the midfielder could make his return during the Reds' Premier League showdown with Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday.
Liverpool currently find themselves sitting eighth in the table having taken one point from their last three Premier League matches, all of which have come in the Spaniard's absence. Speaking at the AXA Training Centre on Friday, Klopp said: "Thiago looks slightly different, might be available, we have to check."
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