Liverpool Receive Impressive £17m Transfer Boost from Shrewd Deal Following Man Utd Rejection
Stefan Bajcetic, a Liverpool midfielder, is out of the European Under-21 Championships due to injury, but he has proven to be a wise signing.
For good reason, all eyes are currently focused on the European Under-21 Championships.
Five Liverpool transfer targets are taking part in the tournament in Romania and Georgia. Ryan Gravenberch and Micky van de Ven represent Holland, Khephren Thuram, and Manu Kone represent France, and Gabri Veiga represents Spain. Indeed, Kopites will be watching the five closely to see how they fit into Jurgen Klopp’s plans.
The Reds also have two players, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, who want to lead England to victory.
Indeed, the event provides an opportunity for the continent’s top young stars to demonstrate their abilities. During the summer, the under-21 Euros satisfy football fans’ appetites while the senior players take a much-needed break.
And, while the attention is on the burgeoning talents, keep Stefan Bajectic in mind. Despite being only 18, the Liverpool midfielder was projected to be in Spain’s squad for the tournament after a breakthrough 2022-23 season at Anfield.
A breakthrough season would be an understatement. Nobody could have predicted the midfielder would make 19 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s team this time last year. Nobody expected him to start a Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid on merit and outperform Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, and Naby Keita in past games.
Football, in fact, frequently defies the status quo. Injuries might lead to opportunities for budding talents. However, in Bajcetic’s case, it was due to the loss of form of numerous senior members of the squad who had been pivotal for the Reds throughout their trophy-laden run. Bajcetic started seven of the next ten games after an impressive performance in a 2-1 FA Cup fourth-round replay victory over Wolves. During that stretch, there were spectacular performances in victories over Everton and Newcastle United.
It felt like a hammer blow when he was ruled out of the second leg against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in March, and then it was confirmed he wouldn’t play again for the rest of the season due to an adductor injury. He’d been a ray of hope in a dark engine room. Mo Salah went so far as to imply that Bajcetic was Liverpool’s starter during his time in the team.
Bajcetic originally caught the notice during last summer’s pre-season. His contribution off the bench in the second period of a 5-0 friendly win over RB Leipzig was outstanding. The Reds were only one goal up at the interval. The visitors ran amok thanks to Bajcetic’s barnstorming performance and Darwin Nunez’s four goals.
Although Liverpool will be cautious with his recuperation, the teenager will enter the following season as a genuine midfield alternative.
While Alexis MacAllister has been recruited for £35 million from Brighton, and at least one more engine-room operator is on the way, Klopp will remember Bajcetic’s maturity and poise.
Bajcetic was signed for £224,000 by Liverpool from Celta Vigo. Manchester United and Real Madrid were also interested, but the Reds beat the deadline before a change in Brexit laws, which saw clubs in England no longer be able to acquire abroad players until they reached the age of 18, moved to Anfield in December 2020.
Since then, Bajcetic’s worth has skyrocketed. CIES Football Observatory assesses him at more over £17 million, while Transfrmarket values him at roughly £11.2 million. Not that Liverpool will be thinking about selling. Bajcetic represents both the past and the future.
