Stefan Bajcetic Closing in on Celta Vigo Return Amid Liverpool Talks
Liverpool’s midfield overhaul is still rumbling on – and Stefan Bajcetic now sits at the centre of the next big decision.
Days after Curtis Jones sealed his move to Inter Milan in a deal that could climb to £30 million, Spanish outlet Faro de Vigo report that Bajcetic is closing in on a return to Celta Vigo, the club where he grew up. This is no routine loan or fringe-player shuffle. The discussions cut straight into his Liverpool contract and, potentially, his future at the top level.
From Anfield hope to crossroads
At 21, Bajcetic is still regarded as a midfielder of real technical class and intelligence. When he first broke through at Liverpool, he looked like a modern holding midfielder ready-made for elite football – calm on the ball, brave under pressure, sharp in his reading of the game.
Then everything stalled.
Injuries ripped up his rhythm. Loan spells failed to restore it. While he was trying to recover form and fitness, Liverpool moved on. A new managerial era under Andoni Iraola has narrowed his pathway even further, with the club reshaping the midfield around different profiles and more immediate options.
He has not made a senior appearance in more than two years. For a player once tipped to become a long-term pillar of the side, that gap tells its own story.
Celta’s plan: rebuild, not rush
Celta Vigo see opportunity where Liverpool see a dilemma.
Their interest is described as serious and targeted. They want to take Bajcetic back to the environment that shaped him, believing familiar surroundings can help rebuild both his continuity and his body. The idea is not to throw him straight into La Liga intensity.
The plan, according to the report, is structured: Bajcetic would start with Celta Fortuna, the club’s reserve side, and work his way back towards the first team. A managed reintegration rather than a rescue mission.
The sticking point lies in the paperwork. Bajcetic is under contract at Liverpool until 2027. Celta, though, are understood to favour a clean contract termination over a traditional transfer fee. That stance underlines their priorities. They want the player, not the financial burden of a sizeable deal.
For Liverpool, the question is blunt: is it better to cut ties now than keep carrying a player whose route to senior football has almost disappeared?
Liverpool’s midfield balance after Jones
The timing of all this matters. Jones has already gone. If Bajcetic follows, Liverpool lose two technically gifted midfielders in the same window.
Inside the club, there is faith in the next wave. Trey Nyoni and James McConnell are expected to soak up some of the minutes and opportunities that open up in the short term. That internal confidence helps explain why there is no immediate rush to sign a like-for-like replacement.
But it also signals a clear strategic choice: streamline rather than stockpile. Trust what is already in the building instead of hoarding options for the sake of depth.
It is a bold stance in a season that can quickly expose thin areas when injuries and suspensions hit.
Celta’s coach keeps his distance – publicly
Celta head coach Claudio Giráldez addressed the situation carefully, acknowledging both the attraction and the boundaries.
“If he's happy and we can reach an agreement, it would be a good situation, but I'm not thinking about that right now,” he said. He then stressed his general policy: “He's a homegrown player; I don't talk about players we don't have. If I talk about any of them, it's those who have been here before because we understand that we always have a stronger connection, and on top of that, we have a very good relationship. I coached him. If it happens, great, but I don't talk about players we don't have.”
Sevilla and Getafe have also been linked during this window, yet Celta’s emotional pull is obvious. This is home, with a coach who knows him and a club that believes it can restore him step by step.
A promising story running out of road at Anfield
There is a sense now of momentum, not just tentative talks. The pieces are aligning for Bajcetic’s future to point back towards Spain.
For Celta Vigo, he represents a calculated gamble on upside: a player whose ceiling once looked Champions League level, available if the contractual puzzle can be solved. For Liverpool, this increasingly feels like the closing chapter of a story that never quite lived up to its early promise.
Many around Anfield will feel the sting. Bajcetic arrived as a rare bright spark in a difficult period, offering control and composure when the team badly needed fresh legs and fresh ideas. He looked like the answer from within.
If this move goes through via a contract termination and a start in a reserve side back in Spain, it will carry a harsh edge for everyone involved – a reminder of how quickly injuries and circumstance can flip a career.
Liverpool now have to be absolutely sure of their long-term plan in midfield. Because if Bajcetic rebuilds himself in Vigo and climbs back to the level he once hinted at, the question will follow them all season: did they let a solution walk away just when they needed him most?
