Liverpool's Midfield Reshuffle: Bajcetic Leaves for Celta Vigo
Liverpool’s summer reshuffle in midfield is accelerating – but not in the way many supporters expected.
With the spotlight fixed on wide forwards at Anfield, the heart of the pitch has quietly been stripped back again. Curtis Jones has already gone, joining Inter Milan in a deal worth £30m. Now Stefan Bajcetic is heading for the exit too, and Liverpool have decided they will not bring in a replacement.
Bajcetic back to Celta Vigo
Bajcetic is set to return to where it all began. As reported by Matteo Moretto, Liverpool have agreed a deal with Celta Vigo for the 21-year-old to move back to Galicia on a permanent basis.
The structure is striking. Celta will pay virtually nothing up front, with the package built on bonuses and a sell-on percentage for Liverpool. The Reds have chosen to protect themselves on the back end instead, retaining a cut of any future sale rather than banking a significant fee now.
Bajcetic is expected to undergo his medical at Celta Vigo soon.
It brings a difficult spell in England towards a quiet close. The midfielder has been ravaged by injuries, managing fewer than 60 appearances across the last four years and entering the final 12 months of his Liverpool contract. Given that record, the club’s willingness to accept only a nominal return is hardly a surprise.
If he can stay fit and rebuild in La Liga, that sell-on clause suddenly looks smart business.
Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has also reported that Celta are closing in on an agreement with Bajcetic over personal terms, with the player ready to make the move from Liverpool.
A thin midfield – by design
Bajcetic’s departure, following Jones’ sale, leaves Liverpool with six recognised central midfielders: Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Trey Nyoni, Wataru Endo and the outgoing Bajcetic.
Strip out the Spaniard and the list becomes even more attacking in profile. Only Endo and Bajcetic were natural defensive options, and Endo is already some way down the pecking order.
That imbalance has fuelled calls for another signing in the engine room, especially after the chaotic 2-2 draw with Newcastle that exposed gaps in Liverpool’s structure. The obvious question followed: would the club move to offset the double loss of Jones and Bajcetic?
The answer from inside Anfield is blunt: no.
Nyoni promoted, attack the priority
Liverpool’s response is not to buy, but to promote. TEAMtalk revealed earlier this week that teenager Trey Nyoni has been elevated to fourth in the midfield hierarchy.
Szoboszlai, Gravenberch and Mac Allister will scrap for the two starting roles. Behind them, Nyoni is viewed as the next man up, with Endo slotting in as fifth choice.
The Athletic have since echoed that stance. Their reporter James Pearce relayed the club line: despite rising noise around midfield reinforcements, senior figures insist the priority remains out wide. The plan is to strengthen the forward line, not to replace Jones or react to Bajcetic’s sale.
Inside the club, Nyoni is seen as ready to step in and play a bigger part this season. Unless there is a late change of heart, Liverpool will go into the campaign trusting a teenager and a reshaped core, betting that the real upgrade comes on the flanks.
It is a bold call. With two midfielders gone and no one coming in, Liverpool have nailed their colours to the mast. The season will reveal whether that faith in internal solutions is visionary – or a risk they come to regret.
