Stefan Bajcetic is on the brink of finalizing his move to RB Salzburg, even though Barcelona made a last-minute attempt to hijack the transfer.
Salzburg have secured the loan signing of Bajcetic, according to The Athletic.
The Austrian club had been pursuing the 19-year-old midfielder for some time.
However, their efforts were nearly thwarted when Barcelona made an approach following Marc Bernal’s knee ligament injury.
However, the Spanish giants were unable to finalize the deal, allowing Salzburg to secure Bajcetic on a temporary basis for the 2024-25 season.
Liverpool will receive a loan fee as part of the agreement.
The Spain Under-21 international is expected to travel to Austria on Thursday to complete the move.
Salzburg, managed by former Liverpool assistant coach Pep Lijnders, recently signed another midfielder from Liverpool, Bobby Clark, in a £10 million deal last week.
Bajcetic joined Liverpool from Celta Vigo’s youth team in 2020 and has since made 22 first-team appearances.
He enjoyed a breakthrough season during the 2022-23 campaign but has struggled with injuries over the past 18 months.
An adductor injury sustained in March 2023 ruled him out for the remainder of that season, and he missed much of the 2023-24 campaign due to a calf injury.
Last season, he was limited to just three appearances, with his only Premier League minutes coming as a substitute in Liverpool’s 4-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in May.
Bajcetic, who is also eligible to represent Serbia at the international level, holds the distinction of being Liverpool’s youngest-ever player to start a Champions League knockout match.
He was just 18 years and 122 days old when he played in Liverpool’s 2-5 home defeat to Real Madrid on February 21, 2023.
Liverpool’s current central midfield options include Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, and Ryan Gravenberch, along with academy graduate Trey Nyoni.
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