Barcelona failed in late signing attempt Stefan Bajcetic with Liverpool midfielder ready to join Salzburg Football Team on loan, sources told ESPN.
Barça were unable to secure Bajcetic’s registration with LaLiga due to their ongoing financial difficulties, and sources close to the player said they could not risk waiting and not making a move before Friday’s transfer deadline.
Bajcetic, 19, also has some allegiance to Salzburg coach Pep Lijnders, Jürgen Klopp’s former assistant at Liverpool, with whom he spoke about joining the Austrian side.
The Spain The under-21 international emerged as a Barça target late on Wednesday after Marc Bernal used to be excluded for months ACL tear
Former Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara led Barça’s efforts to sign Bajcetic, whom he knew well from his time at Liverpool, but his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.
Thiago, who retired at the end of last season, has worked has been part of new Barça coach Hansi Flick’s coaching staff since the summer.
He recently left that role to resolve his tax situation between Spain and the UK while completing his coaching training, but he has not ruled out a return.
Barça had previously decided not to strengthen their midfield this summer but Bernal’s injury has changed their plans.
With Gavi And Frenkie de Jong still injured and Ilkay Gundogan back at Manchester CityThey were left in the middle of the field.
However, Barça have had difficulty registering new players with Dani Olmo missed the first two games of the season due to breaches of LaLiga’s financial fair play rules.
Olmo, who has been involved since Leipzig Football Team with an initial outlay of 55 million euros ($72 million), eventually has been released in victory Rayo Vallecano on the Tuesday after he Finally, the engraving was processed.
ESPN sources say the club cannot give immediate guarantees about when Bajcetic will be registered, forcing the Vigo-born youngster to make a decision before the transfer window closes.
Bajcetic, who is also eligible to play for Serbiajoined Liverpool from his hometown club Celta Vigo in 2020 and has made 22 appearances for the first team.
Originally a centre-back, Klopp has moved him into midfield, while he can also play in any position in the back four. Injuries have hampered his progress in recent seasons, but sources told ESPN he is fully fit after a full pre-season.
