Red Bull Salzburg have moved ahead of FC Barcelona to sign Liverpool midfielder Stefan Bajcetic, who will head to Austria on a season-long loan.
Bajcetic, 19, struggled with injuries last season but wants to relaunch his career on loan. Salzburg are keen to reunite him with coach Pep Lijnders, who was Jürgen Klopp’s assistant at Anfield.
The loan deal seemed straightforward before Barcelona launched a last-minute attempt to sign him following Marc Bernal’s serious injury, although it is believed the Catalan club failed to get around LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play rules and were unable to close a deal.
From The Athletic Bajcetic is now reportedly leaving for Salzburg on a one-year loan deal that does not include the option of a permanent transfer.
Bajcetic will not only be reunited with Lijnders, but could also play in midfield alongside 19-year-old Bobby Clark, who arrived earlier this month also from Liverpool.
After learning of the offer from FC Barcelona, Bajcetic’s father, Srdjan, admitted that the interest from the Spanish team had taken them by surprise.
“The news of Barça’s interest has surprised us all. We weren’t expecting this news. We had everything ready to go to Salzburg,” he told RAC1.
“All parents want the best for their children and obviously I would like to see them play for a team as big as Barcelona or Liverpool one day,” he added.
Bajcetic made a splash when he broke into Klopp’s senior squad in January 2023 but saw his momentum halted by a season-ending injury just two months later.
The Spanish player recovered in time for the 2023/24 campaign, but soon suffered a serious calf injury that limited him to playing just 234 minutes in six games in all competitions.
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