Liverpool agree £27m fee to sign Thiago Alcântara from Bayern Munich

Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign the midfielder Thiago Alcântara from Bayern Munich for €30m (£27.3m). The Spain international is set to sign a four-year deal with the Premier League champions.

Liverpool had been reluctant to pay that much for a 29-year-old with one year on his contract but have accepted the need to meet Bayern’s demands to land Jürgen Klopp’s key target. Thiago is happy with the personal terms on offer at Liverpool and wants to join the club despite interest from Manchester United, which never advanced to a bid.

The midfielder made clear he wanted to leave Bayern and his preferred destination has always been Liverpool. He is an admirer of the team’s style under Klopp. His arrival would clear the way for Georginio Wijnaldum to join Barcelona provided a suitable offer is received.

Thiago, whose father is the 1994 Brazilian World Cup winner Mazinho, joined Bayern in 2013 from Barcelona and has made 233 appearances for the Bundesliga champions. His younger brother, Rafinha, is still at the Camp Nou.

Liverpool have made one signing this summer, the left-back Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiakos for a fee in the region of £11.75m.