With less than 48 hours to go until the close of this summer’s transfer window, one Liverpool ace has found himself in something of a footballing limbo.
New manager Arne Slot looks set to offload Stefan Bajcetic, with all previous rumors pointing to him moving to Austrian side RB Salzburg, now managed by Jurgen Klopp’s former assistant Pep Lijnders.
Liverpool’s Bajcetic was put in a horrible position
However, the ACL injury suffered by Barcelona midfielder Marc Bernal in their midweek match at Rayo Vallecano has left the Blaugrana in need of a replacement, and quickly.
The Spanish giants, already the only team in La Liga with a 100 per cent record after just three games into the 2024/25 season, appear to have made their move for Bajcetic, as noted by columnist and pundit CaughtOffside transfers, Fabrizio Romano.
??? EXCLUSIVE: Barcelona submit direct loan offer to Liverpool for talented midfielder Stefan Bajcetic!
More exclusive details: loan offer for a fee of 4 million euros, without purchase clause.
After the loan offer from RB Salzburg on Tuesday, Barca are now trying to make it happen after Bernal’s injury.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 28, 2024
The club are said to have offered Liverpool a direct loan deal worth €4m, with no option to buy – the player would return to the Reds next summer.
However, there is a big problem with this offer, as Romano later advanced.
?? Can Barcelona currently not continue with Stefan Bajceti? agreement due to problems with Financial Fair Play.
Salzburg expect Stefan to travel on Thursday to complete the loan move #LFC revealed two days ago.
If nothing changes on Thursday morning, Salzburg hope to. pic.twitter.com/2dl6d97y4d
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 28, 2024
The strict Financial Fair Play rules in Spain mean that, due to Barça’s continued financial situation, they still cannot afford to pay the player at the moment.
What that does, of course, is put Bajcetic in an awkward position.
Faced with the choice, the player would surely move to Barcelona ahead of Salzburg, with respect, but he can afford to wait until the last window strikes, placing his absolute trust in the club to be able to get a deal done ?
At least he knows that the Salzburg deal is currently on the table and he can accept it right now, without problems or worries that it won’t be completed before the 11pm deadline on Friday night.
Decisions, decisions…
