Reliable journalist confirms ex-Liverpool figure has intervened in Stefan Bajcetic loan pursuit
The future of Stefan Bajcetic remains up in the air going into the final 48 hours of the summer transfer window.
Fabrizio Romano reported at separate intervals on Wednesday that both Red Bull Salzburg and Barcelona have been trying to land the Liverpool midfielder on loan for the season.
According to James Pearce for The Athletic, former Reds player Thiago Alcantara has spoken to the 19-year-old about the possibility of moving to Camp Nou – where the ex-Barca favourite had briefly returned as part of Hansi Flick’s coaching staff – instead of Salzburg, where Jurgen Klopp’s former assistant Pep Lijnders is now in charge.
Bajcetic will now be left to mull over whether to lean towards his compatriot Thiago and join Barcelona, or seek a reunion with another familiar face in Lijnders at Salzburg.
Both parties will no doubt try to make the most convincing case to the teenager, but he and Liverpool will have only one thing at the forefront of their decision-making process – which of the two suitors would be likelier to give him the game-time that he now needs for his development.
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Graeme Bailey has claimed (via HITC) that the preference of Anfield chiefs would be for the 19-year-old to move to Austria rather than Catalonia, although they’ll grant him the licence to make the final decision rather than forcing him towards one option or the other.
Bajcetic may get opportunities at Barcelona initially due to a glut of injuries in their midfield, but once key players like Frenkie de Jong and Gavi return, he could face intense competition for minutes under Hansi Flick.
We’d love for him to stay put at Liverpool and provide crucial depth for Arne Slot’s squad, but if he were to depart on loan in the next couple of days, our one wish would be that he features regularly wherever he goes, so that his move wouldn’t turn out to be a waste of everyone’s time.
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