Bayern Munich have confirmed the signing Spain international Thiago Alcantara from Barcelona.
The 22 year old penned a four year deal with the Champions League and Bundesliga titleholders and is expected to join teammates and manager Pep Guardiola in the coming days. A statement from Barcelona confirmed the deal:
FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munich have reached an agreement over the transfer of the player Thiago Alcantara to the German club for a total of €25 million [$33m].
The subject of Alcantara’s transfer was one of great debate this summer with Manchester United emerging as his likely destination following the player’s noted displeasure over his bit-part role at Barcelona.
After dominating the 2013 European Championships and helping Spain defeat Italy 4-2 in the final courtesy of his ‘perfect hat-trick’ (scoring a goal with his head, left foot, and right foot), the chase for Alcantara’s signature heated up.
But with United prepared to reach deep into their pockets to land the player, Guardiola stepped forward to name Alcantara as his “only” target of the summer transfer window -even though he technically purchased Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze during that time as well.
The former Barcelona manager’s declaration brought United’s pursuit of the Spaniard to a halt, recognizing that the reunion of Alcantara and Guardiola, after spending four years together at Camp Nou, was an inevitability.
“Thiago Alcantara was a player greatly coveted by our new head coach Pep Guardiola,” said Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. “We’re delighted to be able to finalize this huge transfer. Thiago has just recently been selected as the best play at the U-21 European Championships. He’s a fantastic player with a lot of potential, who will undoubtedly make FC Bayern even stronger.”
For United, the pain of losing Alcantara has come and gone and David Moyes must now look elsewhere in the transfer market for the midfielder his side so dearly requires.
Everton’s Marouane Fellaini looks the most likely to fill that void while Roma’s Daniele de Rossi, PSV’s Kevin Strootman and Juventus’ Claudio Marchisio are all potential targets.
