Fabrizio Romano gives surprise January update on Liverpool star that is loved by fans

Thiago's deal runs out at Liverpool this summer, but is there a possibility he could leave in January?

The Spanish midfielder is yet to feature this season after suffering a hip issue at the end of last season and he might feature again until the new year as it stands.

His last appearance came in April against West Ham and his presence has been missed, but Jurgen Klopp has been fortunate that their summer signings have all hit the ground running.

However, Romano spoke in his latest Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside, about the possibility of the 32-year-old returning to Catalonia in the next few months as part of a shortlist to help the club cope with the long-term injury to youngster Gavi, who is set to be out for up to 10 months.

The Italian stated: “I’ve had some fans asking me about stories involving Thiago Alcantara and a surprise potential return to Barcelona this January. Of course we know that Barca are now short in midfield after the lengthy injury to Gavi, but it’s too early to know if they’re going to replace him, or who they could target.

“With Thiago, I’m not aware of concrete talks with Barca so far. As I previously reported, Barca’s priority is to register Vitor Roque before deciding on the midfielder situation. For now there are no changes, and no concrete developments on how to act with replacing Gavi.

“It’s also worth remembering that Thiago said no to Saudi clubs in July as he wanted to stay at Liverpool. As far as I’m aware there has been no change to his situation since then.”

Thiago was chased by multiple clubs from the Saudi Arabia league in the summer but he remained focused on his time at Liverpool. He remains an enticing option for Klopp, given that their midfield make-up is far different from last season.

It would be a return to a club where he broke through as a youngster but it seems highly unlikely that he would be prised away during the season - although, it could be a potential destination if he leaves Liverpool in the summer.

In terms of his Liverpool career, he is yet to feature with the new signings. The overall energy in midfield has been raised tenfold thanks to the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch. And the thought of Thiago slotting in amongst them in the new-look Liverpool midfield is certainly something that needs to be seen.

A decision on his future will revolve around his availability in the future. As it stands, he will be out until the new year and there is a possibility his Liverpool career could fall victim to a soft ending if injuries persist from January onwards.