Liverpool’s midfield unit is in a bind as the club prepares to sanction yet another departure from its engine room.
According to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Spanish midfielder Stefan Bajcetic is on the verge of returning to his hometown club, Celta Vigo, with negotiations over personal terms approaching a final agreement.
The potential departure of the 21-year-old comes on the heels of Curtis Jones completing a £30 million move to Serie A champions Inter Milan.
Liverpool lose another midfielder
Losing Jones has thinned out Liverpool’s squad depth, and allowing Bajcetic to pack his bags leaves manager Andoni Iraola with surprisingly threadbare reserves in central areas, even if he was unlikely to mount a challenge to the established starting order this season.
Behind options like Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, and Dominik Szoboszlai, the bench is looking especially scarce ahead of a domestic and European campaign.
There is growing fan anxiety over the Reds' balance in central midfield, too.
Supporters are likely to view this latest transfer manoeuvre with skepticism. With Szoboszlai and Gravenberch both inclined to push forward in possession, shipping out rotational options without securing a defensively-minded replacement feels like a gamble that risks leaving the defence exposed.
For Bajcetic, heading back to Galicia represents a homecoming of sorts. Liverpool originally signed the youngster from Celta Vigo’s youth setup in December 2020 for a modest fee. He was developed into a deep-lying midfielder under Jurgen Klopp and enjoyed something of a breakout 2022/23 campaign, featuring sporadically under the German.
However, growth-related injury setbacks halted his rise, restricting him to just three senior appearances during 2023/24 season before subsequent loan spells at Red Bull Salzburg and Las Palmas.
While a return home offers Bajcetic a fresh start to reignite his promising career, Liverpool supporters are left questioning the strategy of letting another engine-room reserve walk away.
