One Liverpool midfielder could now be approaching a significant career crossroads, amid reported transfer interest from several LaLiga clubs.
It’s now been more than two years since Stefan Bajcetic last played for the Reds’ first team, having spent most of that time out of action because of persistent injury problems, and he didn’t get on the pitch at all during the 2025/26 season.
Now 21, the Spaniard is into the final 12 months of his contract at Anfield, and a decision will need to be made as to whether he remains on Merseyside in the long-term or seeks a permanent move elsewhere in search of a fresh start.
In an article for The Athletic assessing which Liverpool players could catch the eye in pre-season, Andy Jones wrote of the dilemma with which Bajcetic and the Reds are now faced.
He wrote: ‘The midfielder only has one year remaining on his contract, so this summer could be decision time for him and Liverpool. He is a homegrown player, which Liverpool do not have many of, and if he catches Iraola’s eye, that could be the start of a change in fortunes for him.’
Jones’ colleague Gregg Evans noted in The Athletic‘s Transfer DealSheet on Tuesday that ‘a number of Spanish clubs are interested in’ the 21-year-old, ‘should Liverpool consider letting him leave this summer’.
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Bajcetic meets the Premier League’s homegrown player criteria as he’d been registered with Liverpool for three full seasons prior to his 21st birthday last October, which exempts him from taking up one of the maximum quota of 17 ‘non-homegrown’ berths in the Reds’ top-flight squad.
That’s an immediate incentive for the club to try and keep hold of him, especially when there’s only one ‘non-homegrown’ place currently free at Anfield, although the midfielder surely won’t want to spend another season watching on from afar after spending so long out of action.
He has been hard at work at the AXA Training Centre in recent weeks, which raises hopes of him featuring during the pre-season tour to the United States. If he does, his performances in those games could be critical in determining his future.
If he produces something close to the levels he showed upon breaking into the Liverpool first team during the 2022/23 campaign, Iraola may well find a place for him in the senior squad and afford him a decent chunk of game-time (fitness permitting).
However, if Bajcetic seems no closer to breaking into the line-up in a month’s time, Anfield chiefs might be prepared to entertain interest from his purported LaLiga suitors and potentially accept an offer if they receive one which is to their liking.
We’d love to see the Spaniard reviving his fortunes with the Reds after such prolonged injury woe, so hopefully we’ll see a lot more of him in the coming months.
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