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Former Liverpool star Xabi Alonso has revealed that he convinced Thiago Alcantara to join the Reds in 2020. Alonso told Thiago that Liverpool is the ideal destination for a new chapter in his career.
Thiago, 31, joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich for an initial fee of £20 million. Since his arrival at Anfield, the injury-plagued midfielder has registered two goals and four assists in 50 Premier League appearances. He has also lifted three trophies with the club.
Alonso played alongside Thiago at Bayern Munich between 2014 and 2017. The pair won many trophies together, including three successive Bundesliga titles.
Speaking to the club's website, Alonso shed light on his conversation with the former Barcelona man. He said:
"We talked a lot that summer because he was thinking about the option. I said, 'Thiago, you love football, you're in a great club, you're in Bayern and you've achieved great things, but Liverpool is pure football and you're going to enjoy it as much as you have done. If you feel it's the right moment for a new chapter, you won't get better places than Liverpool'."
Lauding his former Spain team-mate, Alonso added:
"You could see that he's a different player. He's a different talent because he's competitive but at the same time he has those magic Brazilian actions that are not that European. He's competitive but he can do different things. He was a great player at Bayern and he continues being consistent and being a great player at Liverpool."
Thiago suffered a hamstring injury on the opening day of the Premier League season against Fulham. However, he is expected to feature in Liverpool's second UEFA Champions League Group A contest against Ajax at Anfield.
Real Madrid rejected €100 million bid for Federico Valverde from Liverpool
According to AS, Liverpool approached Real Madrid late in the transfer window with a €100 million offer for Federico Valverde. However, Los Blancos refused to consider the sale as the Uruguayan is "an irreplaceable sporting player."
Valverde, 24, has scored eight goals and contributed 10 assists in 155 matches across all competitions for Real Madrid. The player reportedly has an exorbitant release clause of €1 billion.
