The Athletic journalist David Ornstein says that Bayern Munich are holding out for a staggering €50m (£45m) to sell midfielder Thiago Alcantara.

The Bundesliga club’s CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said yesterday that they would consider offloading the 29-year-old for a “fair” price with many assuming that the figure was the one that has been bandied around in Germany: €30m (£27m).

However, speaking on his “Ask Ornstein” show on the Tifo Podcast Youtube channel, the former BBC reporter claimed that Bayern are in no mood to sell the player on the cheap.

Despite having less than 12 months left to go on his contract, it appears the German side have priced Thiago out of a move away from the club, with the Reds unwilling to go anywhere near that price.

A free transfer next summer, therefore, looks more likely if Ornstein’s information is accurate. Other reporters (although less reliable than Ornstein) have consistently gone with the €30m number but we shall have to wait and see what happens.