The German champions Bayern Munich are apparently interested in signing Fabinho, which would be a dramatic late plot twist from his anticipated departure to Saudi Arabia.
The majority of the Reds’ preseason practises have been played without the Brazilian. He wasn’t included in the 32-person squad that travelled to the Baden-Wurttemberg training camp last Saturday because Anfield executives still needed to consider a £40 million offer from Al Ittihad.
Even a minor decline in performance the previous season was not enough to imply Jurgen Klopp would actively try to push his prized midfielder towards the exit door at the age of 29, with three years left on his current Liverpool deal. But Saudi suitors have put that claim to the test.
And it now seems that Al Ittihad does not have the sole support. On Friday night, Florian Plettenberg of Sky Germany tweeted an intriguing report, claiming Bayern are now monitoring the Saudi champions in case talks with Liverpool fall through. Additionally, Jorge Mendes, the agency, is rumoured to have excellent connections with Munich’s senior brass.
In his article, Plettenberg stated: “Fabinho: Bayern is attentively watching his position! Fabinho is on the verge of joining Al-Ittihad, and Liverpool wants to seal the deal quickly. Bayern knows about it.
But Bayern would be interested in him if the deal fails! He matches the description. His agent Jorge Mendes has a close relationship with the bosses.
The entire situation has complicated what otherwise would have been a rather straightforward summer by raising a lot of questions about what to do. During what appeared to be Fabinho’s final years at the club, 19-year-old Romeo Lavia was long rumoured to succeed him. However, that now looks improbable.
Regardless, the Belgian would be a great acquisition, but would he be sufficient? The debate grows urgent as people try to come up with alternatives because the prevailing view is that someone so young and with only one season of Premier League experience shouldn’t play.
Joshua Kimmich is one such name that has been used in the discussion. You could hardly turn down a player who is 28 years old, has made more than 200 appearances for his current team, has established himself as a leader for both club and country, and is an eight-time Bundesliga champion.
The German international may perhaps fill in for both of the departing stalwarts, Jordan Henderson and Al Ettifaq, who the Reds are also preparing to lose.
Although that was a time when his position in the Bayern team was rock-solid, Manchester City had previously been linked to him. This seems to have changed recently, with the club’s executives apparently ‘ready to discuss’ about a transfer.
So, would suggesting a part-exchange deal be absurd? Could Fabinho at the very least pave the way for Kimmich to leave? Bayern provides a lot tougher hurdle for Fabinho if he is sincere about leaving Liverpool and does not want to join Al Ittihad.
Kimmich has achieved success in his home country as well, but in recent years, Thiago Alcantara, Robert Lewandowski, and David Alaba have all sought out new opportunities in foreign leagues. Is it now Kimmich’s turn to follow in their footsteps?
If the Reds wanted to pursue Kimmich, they would simply need to go and give Bayern the £40 million transferred from Al Ittihad. Eliminating the middleman would help to secure one of the summer’s transfers.
