Liverpool have reportedly agreed to recall Stefan Bajcetic from his loan at Red Bull Salzburg and send him back out in January, with Real Betis heavily linked with the midfielder.
Few could have predicted that the Reds' midfield group would have helped fire the Merseysiders to first place in the Premier League, particularly as Ryan Gravenberch has featured in a defensive midfield role despite having previously rarely played in the position.
Arne Slot seems to have complete trust in Gravenberch, Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allitser, though he did try to add Martin Zubimendi to the group in the summer of 2024.
With places in midfield limited, Slot allowed Bajcetic to go out on loan to Salzburg in search of regular playing time, particularly as he had only played 26 minutes in the Premier League last term after making his comeback from a serious injury.
However, Liverpool have supposedly cut his loan at the Austrian club short, and The Mirror report that the Reds have given him the green light to go back out on loan in the winter transfer window, with Real Betis said to hold serious interest in adding him to their squad.
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What went wrong for Bajcetic?
Bajcetic was part of a Liverpool associated group that left for Salzburg in various capacities, with fellow midfielder Bobby Clark joining the club on a permanent basis, former assistant manager Pep Lijnders becoming the team's head coach and the Spanish youngster signing on a season-long loan.
However, Lijnders was sacked in the middle of December six months into his tenure after winning just seven, drawing five and losing four of his 16 league matches in charge.
Bajcetic has started six times in the league for Salzburg, but he has struggled to impact games - both on and off the ball - this term.
The 20-year-old deserves plenty of leniency for his performances in 2024-25 given his age and his lack of playing time over the past year, but it is concerning for his development that he has been subject to such instability.
Perhaps the Spaniard would benefit from a move to back to Spain for the remainder of the season, and even though the first part of the campaign did not go smoothly, Liverpool will be hoping that the youngster can make progress in 2025.
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Is there a future at Liverpool for Bajcetic?
If the Reds were to sign another midfielder in the upcoming summer transfer window, Bajcetic's future at the club could come into question due to the young age profiles of the players ahead of him in Liverpool's pecking order.
Gravenberch, Jones and Szoboszlai are all 24 or younger, while Mac Allister is only 26 years old, and considering he does not rely on his athleticism, the Argentine could continue to be a regular in the middle of the park for a long time.
Additionally, Bajcetic looked at his best in a Liverpool shirt when he played as a central midfielder rather than in deeper positions, but the signing of someone such as Zubimendi would likely mean that Gravenberch would be pushed into more of a number eight role.
Slot has also shown that he does not like to rotate his starting XI very often, with veteran Wataru Endo only getting starts in the EFL Cup so far this term.
Considering that Slot is almost certain to prefer several players over the Spaniard in the coming seasons, Bajcetic's best hope for a starting spot in midfield could be a transfer away from Merseyside.
Lewis Nolan
