Liverpool are ready to fend off rival interest from Manchester United by stepping up their efforts to sign Bayern Munich star Thiago Alcantara after contacting the Champions League winners over a £27 million move for the midfielder, sources have told ESPN.
Jurgen Klopp has been determined to add the former Barcelona player to his squad this summer, but financial restrictions at the club in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic had left the Liverpool hierarchy reluctant to sanction an expensive move for a 29-year-old.
Klopp had been told that a first-team player would have to leave the Premier League champions in order to create space on the wage bill for Thiago.