Lionel Messi appears to have convinced Barcelona to re-sign former midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who is one of the most underrated players in the world from from Bayern Munich.
He was incredibly good in his Barcelona days and was tipped to be a successor to Xavi, but things didn’t go as they should have because Tito Vilanova didn’t regard Thiago highly and sold him to the German giants after taking over from Pep Guardiola.
Thiago’s sale was seen as a controversial one by the Barca fans but was eventually forgotten as a result of the new-look team making a solid start to La Liga that year.
However, Thiago is still in the good books at the Camp Nou and will always be welcomed back in. His return could go through during the summer as he enters the final year of his contract in Munich.
Lionel Messi is keen on seeing the midfielder returning to Barcelona as a probable replacement for Ivan Rakitic, Don Balon reports.
The Croat is expected to depart the club after this season’s end and Arturo Vidal could also follow. Frenkie de Jong’s ability to play as a defensive midfielder may allow Thiago to play often if Sergio Busquets starts slowing.
Spain’s defending champions will be in need of signing a midfielder during the summer and Thiago Alcantara could be a great addition.
He is valued at only 35 million euros and signing him seven years later at his peak for just 10 million extra than what they sold him for may not faze Barca away from making a move.
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Apart from just signing Thiago, Barcelona have realised that they should sign other players from La Masia that were deemed surplus and released some years ago.
The likes of Adama Traore, Dani Olmo and Alex Grimaldo are proof of the exquisite talents that the club overlooked over time, as is Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin who may well have succeeded Dani Alves.