It's fair to suggest Liverpool had not been anticipating significant interest in Thiago Alcantatra this summer.
The decision was taken to bring forward the midfielder's plans for surgery on a hip problem primarily so he could be declared fit in time for the beginning of the pre-season schedule.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich midfielder had been dogged by a persistent hip complaint since the turn of the year and was forced to miss the final four games of the Premier League season as a result.
