Liverpool 'in advanced talks' over January transfer deal for 'very talented player'

Liverpool are looking at sending Stefan Bajcetic on loan to a La Liga outfit.

The midfielder has spent the first half of the season at Red Bull Salzburg. The Reds gave the green light to the decision after Bajcetic endured injuries after breaking through to the first team in the 2022-23 season. Last term, he played just three times in all competitions.

A reunion with former Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders was deemed as the right move for Bajcetic. But Salzburg have struggled this campaign, with Lijnders sacked before Christmas along with ex-Reds coach Vitor Matos. Bajcetic has played 18 times for the Austrian outfit - five coming in the Champions League - but he is reportedly set to make a return to his native Spain.

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that Real Betis are in ‘advanced talks’ with Liverpool over signing Bajcetic for the second half of the campaign. Betis are ninth in the Spanish top flight with former Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini at the helm.

Speaking before his switch to Salzburg, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot said: “I hope it will be a big year for him because he’s a very talented player and I think he could become a very important player for us, but only if he gets playing time now.

“If you are that young and you’ve been out for so long, the only thing you need is playing time. He could have playing time over here, but we’ve got six or seven very good midfielders, so his playing time here will always be more limited than we expect him to play at Salzburg.

“So for him, and us, we think it’s best for him to play at the moment, instead of maybe playing a few times and then being on the bench for a long time again. It’s very difficult to keep a player fit who’s been out for 15 months when you only play him once in a while.

“So this is for the long term. Again, this club has been smart, in my opinion, in the past for not only looking for the short term, but also the long term. It’s a smart decision, at least in our opinion, to let him go somewhere, where he will hopefully play a lot of games. Then for next season, we’ll have a player. If he fulfils his potential, [he] could definitely, definitely play for us in the future.”

Bajcetic has made a total of 22 appearances for Liverpool, having been signed from Celta Vigo in December 2020. The 20-year-old was a beacon of light during the Reds’ struggles in the 2022-23 campaign before having to have an operation for an adductor issue.

He did play prominently in pre-season after Slot’s arrival in the Anfield hot seat but given he was behind the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones in the pecking order, it was decided that he would leave Liverpool on a temporary basis to get regular minutes under his belt.