Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has confirmed that Liverpool-linked midfielder Thiago Alcantara wants to leave the club.
The 29-year-old is due to be out of contract at the Allianz Arena next summer and been strongly touted as a target for Premier League champions Liverpool.
Bayern are rumoured to be holding out for a bid of around €40m (£36.3m) for the Spain international and, despite the player's desire to leave, Rummenigge insists that the Bavarian giants' hand will not be forced.
"The talks Hasan [Salihamidzic] had with him have always been very productive. And at some point it actually seemed that [a new contract] was done," he told told Sky Sports Germany.
"But then Thiago told Hasan some time ago that he would like to try something new at the end of his career. We have to accept that."
"We have a contract with Thiago that is still valid for one year and if he reaches an agreement with any club then that club should pay a transfer fee of a certain amount."
David Alaba is also believed to have asked for a move away this summer, with Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City all monitoring the situation.
Daniel Lewis
