90min

Barcelona make surprise loan offer for Liverpool midfielder - report

  • Barcelona linked with Liverpool's Stefan Bajcetic
  • Catalans lack depth in central midfield
  • Loan move could cost €4m with no option to buy

By Jamie Spencer

Stefan Bajcetic has emerged as a Barcelona target
Stefan Bajcetic has emerged as a Barcelona target / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages
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Barcelona are reported to have made a late transfer window approach for Liverpool youngster Stefan Bajcetic in an attempt to boost their depleted midfield.

Gavi and Frenkie de Jong have begun the new season injured, while Ilkay Gundogan was among a handful of recent departures that helped make it possible to register summer signing Dani Olmo.

Barca thought they had an in-house solution with 17-year-old Marc Bernal, the latest talent to come off the production line at La Masia. But the youngster suffered a potentially season-ending knee injury during the midweek win over Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.

With versatile defender Andreas Christensen unable to plug the gap because of his own injury, Fermin Lopez, whose start to the season has been slow because of a double tournament summer, and the injury-prone Pedri are the only established midfielders available. Marc Casado has been promoted to the first-team this season but he has made only six total senior appearances.

Stefan Bajcetic
Bajcetic has only played in pre-season under Arne Slot / Barrington Coombs/GettyImages

But Barcelona now seem to have made a cost effective attempt to boost numbers while they can, with Fabrizio Romano reporting a €4m (£3.4m) loan approach for Bajcetic. It would come with no option to buy beyond this season and follows a loan offer this week from Red Bull Salzburg.

Bajcetic has been well-liked at Liverpool for a long time, but the 19-year-old has his own history of injuries that have limited him to 22 first-team appearances since a senior debut in August 2022. He missed nearly all of last season with a long-term calf issue and has also suffered with hip muscle and back problems in his fledgling career to date. Bajcetic has not been in a matchday squad in 2024/25.

A temporary switch to Barcelona would mean a move back home, even if just for the next ten months, for the Spain Under-21 international. He hails from Vigo in the country's north west and joined Liverpool's academy shortly after turning 16 at the end of 2020.

Hansi Flick made it clear when Barcelona were in touch with N'Golo Kante that he didn't want the veteran former Chelsea midfielder, who has been with Al Ittihad since 2023.

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