Liverpool have completed a stunning deal for Bayern Munich star Thiago Alcantara.
The Premier League champions were strongly linked with the Spain playmaker throughout the summer and have now secured their man.
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It is understood the Reds have paid an initial fee of £20million for the midfielder, with more to follow in add-ons.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had previously tried to play down the speculation.
“It is nice that we are linked with him but that is pretty much all, really,” he said last week, before the signing was quickly wrapped up.
Thiago won seven Bundesliga titles with Bayern since arriving from Barcelona in 2013, despite links to Manchester United earlier on in his career.
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The midfielder shone at the 2011 Under-21 European Championship and Sir Alex Ferguson was desperate to sign the creative talent. Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busqeuts all ensured the youngster was not playing regularly at Camp Nou at the time.
When Fergie departed in 2013, Thiago was once again high on the club’s wishlist and now readily available for transfer.
Yet the bizarre reason the transfer never happened could haunt United for years.
According to ESPN, new boss David Moyes was desperate for a marquee signing at Old Trafford and was linked with the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Gareth Bale.
But Ferguson had reportedly agreed a deal for the then-22-year-old Thiago after being made aware of his desire to leave the Nou Camp in search of first-team football.
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But the plug was pulled on the £17m deal for Thiago, despite talks being at an advanced stage.
Moyes allegedly said he did not know enough about the player, who was already a Barcelona first-team regular and who made his full Spain debut two years prior.
And The Independent report Moyes acquired the unfortunate nickname ‘Dithering Dave’ whilst managing at Goodison Park.
The Scot wanted to make personal checks on players himself, often visiting stadiums across the continent, before making a decision.
He tried to get Fabregas instead of Thiago, but was instead forced to settle for Marouane Fellaini.
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At Manchester United, the time spent chasing players was not solely his fault; the 57-year-old spent much of his time at Carrington overhauling a scouting system which was considered antiquated and replacing it with a modern database.
And it appears the ‘Dithering Dave’ moniker still applies.
As it stands, he has yet to make a signing in the 2020 summer transfer window for West Ham.
He did, however, bring Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek to the club in January – the latter becoming a permanent signing in July – and fans and critics alike argue these deals saved the Hammers last season.
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