Thiago Alcantara has been out of the team since April when he had hip surgery. The midfielder’s contract with Liverpool ends at the end of this season, and it seems inevitable that he will be moving on.

The rumour is that the 32-year-old may be returning to Barcelona in January, where he played from 2009-2012. The Catalan club are said to be open for business in the winter transfer window and looking for a midfielder to replace Gavi.

The hugely important midfielder suffered a season-ending ACL injury last month, and now Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez may need to find someone to fill his spot. Thiago is nearing his return date and expected to be available sometime at the beginning of 2024. However, it’s hard to see how he’d make a good quick fix when he’d be both joining a new team and playing for the first time in eight-ish months.

Perhaps it’s the potential price tag that makes him appealing to Barca, who are notably strapped for cash. They’ve already acquired Brazilian Vitor Roque for €40m, so any additional reinforcements would need to be at a discounted rate.

Without Thiago appearing this season, it’s hard to know where Klopp’s mind is about him. Is there still a place for a fit Thiago in Liverpool’s midfield? He’s undoubtedly an incredible player, and when he’s in form, he has the ability to run Liverpool’s midfield. The problem is that, even before his surgery last spring, the time between injuries has been getting shorter and shorter.

There’s only a few days until the winter window opens, so we’ll soon see if the club plans to make any serious moves in or out.