Liverpool are apparently prepared to let midfielder Thiago Alcantara run down his contract and leave Anfield on a free transfer in the summer of 2024.
The former Bayern Munich man's arrival on Merseyside in 2020 was met with scepticism, but he has proven to be a useful player for Jurgen Klopp when fully fit.
However, the 32-year-old has also been plagued by a spate of injury problems since arriving three years ago, and he was restricted to 28 appearances in all tournaments during the 2022-23 season.
After missing five successive matches with a hamstring problem in the summer, Thiago soon began to struggle with a hip injury, missing 10 games between February and April before briefly exiting the treatment room during the Easter period.
The Spain international's issue had not fully healed, though, and he subsequently underwent an operation to correct the problem, ruling him out of Liverpool's final six league matches.
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Thiago will soon enter the final year of his deal with Klopp's side, and according to Goal - via The Mirror - Liverpool are unlikely to offer him an extension beyond the summer of 2024.
Rather than offload the 32-year-old for a nominal fee this summer, the report adds that Liverpool would be content to let him depart as a free agent next year, as their midfield ranks have already been depleted by several outgoings in the current window.
James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will all officially leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of June, while Roberto Firmino will also be on his way out.
The Reds temporarily bolstered their midfield ranks last summer with the loan signing of Juventus midfielder Arthur, but the Brazilian played just 13 minutes of senior football for the Reds.
Having also been forced to undergo his own operation on a thigh injury, Arthur did not play a single Premier League game under Klopp, and he will not be joining the Anfield giants permanently.
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Thiago has contributed three goals and six assists in 97 appearances for Liverpool since joining in a €22m (£19m) deal in the summer of 2020, winning the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Community Shield in that time.
Liverpool are already believed to be closing in on their first midfield signing of the summer window, as an agreement has apparently been struck with Brighton & Hove Albion for Alexis Mac Allister.
The Argentina international is set to arrive on a five-year deal and will reportedly undergo his medical within the next 48 hours before being officially unveiled as a Liverpool player.
Mac Allister's Brighton teammate Moises Caicedo and Nice starlet Khephren Thuram are also thought to be targets for the Reds, who ended their long-running pursuit of Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham due to his £130m price tag.
Ben Knapton
