Bayern Munich must keep Thiago despite Liverpool advances, says Owen Hargreaves

Owen Hargreaves has said that his former club Bayern Munich must hang on to Thiago Alcantara after the midfielder’s influential display in a 1-0 Champions League final win over Paris Saint-Germain.

Premier League winners Liverpool have been linked with the Spain international, with Arsenal having also joined the race to sign the 29-year-old.

But Hargreaves believes that Thiago is more valuable to the new European champions than the £23 million they would likely receive if they sold the player.

“They have got to keep Thiago, he is so important and he was fantastic [against PSG],” Hargreaves told BT Sport.

“Liverpool fans would have been watching that saying: ‘Yes, please.’”

Liverpool seem hesitant to pay what Bayern want for Thiago, especially as he could leave the Bundesliga titleholders for free next year.

And Hargreaves, who came through Bayern’s academy before representing the first team between 2000 and 2007, said the German club are better off getting an extra year out of the midfielder, if not extending his contract further.

Thiago has been central to Bayern’s success this season, helping them to win the treble, go undefeated in 2020 and achieve a 21-game winning streak that continued in the Champions League final.

“They have win 21 wins in a row ... [Manuel] Neuer and Thiago were outstanding.”

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