With the transfer window set to close in Turkey on Friday, Liverpool midfielder Thiago has been the subject of speculation over a move.
There was a collective sigh of relief on Merseyside a week ago, when the Saudi Pro League’s transfer deadline passed without a move for Mohamed Salah.
With their window closing after the Premier League‘s, there had been a lingering concern of an irresistible bid from Al-Ittihad with no chance of replacing the No. 11.
But while that deadline has been and gone, deals have still been going through over the past week in various leagues across the world.
One of those is Turkey, with Nicolas Pepe (Arsenal to Trabzonspor), Eric Bailly (Man United to Besiktas), Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele (both Tottenham to Galatasaray) among those to complete transfers in recent days.
The deadline for Super Lig clubs is 10pm (UK time) on Friday, and Thiago is reportedly attracting late interest from Trabzonspor and Fenerbahce.
On Wednesday, Aksam reported that Trabzonspor had “pressed the button” over a deal for the Spaniard, who “wants to go to a team where he can play [regularly].”
The following day a report from Fanatik described it as an “opportunity transfer,” with claims the club were hoping to sign him without paying Liverpool a fee.
However, Takvim added Fenerbahce to the mix, with a £4.3 million bid reported along with a contract offer worth around £120,000 a week for three years.
Typically, transfer rumours from Turkey should be discredited, with Liverpool players touted with moves to the Super Lig with bizarre regularity.
But Spanish publication AS have furthered reports on Trabzonspor’s interest, claiming that Thiago “wants to leave” and the Super Lig side are “determined” to get a deal sealed before the deadline.
It should be added, though, that while AS is based in Spain, the reporter in question is from Turkey.
Reporting, Ozgur Sancar adds that Liverpool are “not open to any negotiation for their player,” despite the arrivals of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo.
There is little chance of Thiago being allowed to leave Anfield at this stage, particularly given interest from Saudi Arabia and Spain was already rebuffed.
The midfielder, who is yet to return to action after hip surgery in March, reported to the AXA Training Centre as usual on Thursday, though he was not part of the squad working outside.
Jurgen Klopp will almost certainly view him as a key player for the current campaign, with the likelihood being that he then departs for free next summer.
