What are the merits of selling Thiago this summer?

Liverpool Football Club have been very active in the transfer market early this summer. They have identified targets and made their move to get them to the club. However, in recent days speculation has grown that a current midfield piece must be sold to fund further activity. Thiago Alcantara has seen his name being floated as a potential exit.

On the face of these developments, my first instinct is to wonder why a midfielder needs to be sold in order to bring in a 3rd new face? Neither Alexis Mac Allister or Dominik Szoboszlai broke the bank. However, this is the business model that FSG has implemented for years.

Once we accept that fact, the focus shifts to who could possibly be moved on from the club. Our captain, Jordan Henderson’s name has been rumored to potentially join Steven Gerrard and Bobby Firmino as Liverpool legends going to the Saudi League.

I cannot foresee us selling our Captain on a whim like that, so I assume Hendo stays. This brings us to Thiago. The Spaniard is 32 years old and has proven, when he is fit, to be one of the most gifted players at Anfield.

However, that is the problem. Thiago has been ravaged by injuries throughout his Reds career which has hampered his ability to truly show what he can do for the club. Even with the new arrivals, as of this writing, I would pencil Thiago into the Starting XI if he is fit and firing.

That makes the idea of selling him an interesting one. What kind of true value would a 32 year-old, injury prone midfielder going into the final year of his contract really bring the club?

Is selling Thiago for 20 million GBP the difference between more new transfers for Liverpool? I have a hard time believing that.

As Liverpool moved a lot of their attention to Romeo Lavia in recent days, the potential for the future became suddenly very exciting. However, before that future arrives you need players that can bridge the gap while maintaining the high Liverpool standard.

I still think Thiago can do that job. Be smart with his rotation and starts, and he can be a very impactful player even still at this stage of his career.

If you told me in order to bring in a player like Lavia, Thiago needs to leave, it would be a difficult choice. I would lean Lavia because of the long-term benefit, but there would be a drop off in the short-term.

In an ideal world, the club would keep Thiago and still be able to splash the cash on a player like Lavia. It remains to be seen what kind of market would shape up for the mesmerizing Spaniard. All we can do in this moment, is wait and see.