Liverpool: Five clubs Thiago Alcantara could join when he leaves Anfield | OneFootball

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Thiago Alcantara moved to Liverpool for £25m in 2020 on the back of the best season of his career for Bayern Munich where he won the Champions League, the German League title and the German Cup, and on top of this he was labelled an "exceptional player" by former manager Pep Guardiola

However, his time with the Merseyside club hasn’t been as successful as he would have hoped, only winning one FA Cup and one League Cup in three years. Additionally, he has suffered nine different injuries, which have ruled him out for 409 days and caused him to miss 76 matches for Liverpool and Spain combined.

This has led to rumours that the midfielder could leave Anfield this summer, so here are five clubs that the two-time Champions League winner could join.

Al-Ettifaq

The rise of the Saudi Pro League in the last year has been nothing short of astonishing. In just the latest transfer window teams in the division spent a combined £763m on transfers, with the Premier League the only league to spend more, as the English clubs spent a combined £1.1bn.

After Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in January, many of the world's best players such as Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Sadio Mane have followed suit in making the move to the Middle East. With the draw of a life-changing amount of money, the Saudi Pro League has established itself as a force to be reckoned with and proven it needs to be given respect.

With former teammate Jordan Henderson making the move and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard being appointed as manager, Al-Ettifaq could be the perfect location for Thiago to wind down his career, while also helping to establish a growing league and team.

Trabzonspor

Across this summer Turkish side Trabzonspor have picked up rejected older players from across the Premier League, including Nicolas Pepe from Arsenal and Mislav Orsic and Paul Onuachu from Southampton. This comes after a difficult time for the club as they failed to qualify for the Champions League last year, despite their first league victory since 1984 in 2022.

And so far this season in the league the seven-time Turkish Champions have struggled, as they currently sit seventh in the table on six points, after only winning two of their first four games. This could make Trabzonspor an ideal location for the 32-year-old as he can help guide them back to European football and the top of the table.

Additionally, some high-level players, such as Wilfred Zaha, Tete, Fred and Tanguy Ndombele have moved to Turkey this summer, so the midfielder would still face some competition in a less competitive league.

Barcelona

The Italy-born midfielder started off his career playing for Barcelona’s youth teams, before being promoted to Barcelona Atletic (their B team) where he made 54 appearances. After three years with the B team, the midfielder was permanently promoted to Barcelona’s first team, where he’d go on to make 100 appearances, scoring 11 goals and registering 20 assists.

On top of this he would go on to win a Champions League, a FIFA Club World Cup, four Spanish League titles, one UEFA Super Cup, two Spanish Cups, and three Spanish Super Cups, meaning in total he won 12 trophies in just three years. However, in 2013 Thiago left his boyhood side and moved to Bayern Munich for £22m, following former manager Pep Guardiola.

Therefore, after 10 years away from his first-ever club, the former Spanish international could make a romantic return to a Barcelona side that currently sits third in La Liga, after winning three and drawing one of their first four games. And following the departure of club legend Sergio Busquets during the summer Thiago could provide some much-needed experience to the young midfield of Gavi and Pedri.

Inter Miami

It's no secret that since starting Inter Miami David Beckham has wanted to bring some of the world's biggest stars to America. In previous seasons the Englishman had signed Argentine and former Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain and past PSG and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi.

But this summer was when he really put his foot on the gas as he brought in three of the biggest names in the history of football Jordi Alba, Busquets and of course Lionel Messi. Since moving to North America, the Argentine has completely lit up the MLS, and so far for his new side the World Cup winner has scored 11 goals and provided five assists in just 11 games.

This setup could provide the perfect place for Thiago to move to as it would allow him to reunite with three of his former Barcelona teammates and help improve a side that finished second from bottom in their division last season.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Definitely the most left-field option on this list, but Brighton could provide a surprise home for Thiago.

The South Coast side have been sensational since being promoted to the Premier League in 2017. Despite only finishing in 15th, 17th and 15th again in their first three years in the division, Brighton have become a well-established Premier League club over the last two years.

In their first year under Graham Potter, the Seagulls finished in ninth position with 51 points, only for this to be topped a year later by new manager Roberto De Zerbri, who guided them to sixth place with 62 points, meaning they qualified for the Europa League.

Brighton have also made themselves known for their excellent transfer policy, which has seen them turn massive profits on players. In the last year alone, they have managed to raise £300m from transfers, with £115m of that coming from the sale of Moises Caicedo to Chelsea. This could leave an opening for a midfielder like Thiago to take his place as well as providing some much-needed experience.

This season will be Brighton’s first appearance in a European competition and to try and provide some experience throughout the side of the new competition they have already brought in established players James Milner, Ansu Fati and Mahmoud Dahoud. And by adding a two-time Champions League winner to that list he could be the ultimate addition for the Seagulls.