Thiago was just a Barca prospect before the last U21 Championships. After that tournament Barca gave him a new contract & inserted a £90m buy out clause.
Fast forward to the current U21 Championships. If Thiago continues to perform like he did against Russia, Barca will never allow him to leave because he was head & shoulders above everyone else on show.
I know we have to be careful in regards to FFP, but as far as I'm concerned, players like him only come along once in a blue moon, we should do everything we can to make sure that's our blue moon. We need him & Cavani and hopefully Txiki & Ferran will make it happen.
We've got Tevez & Dzeko to trade & still have some deadwood like Garcia & Sinclair to shift off the wage bill. Going for Alcantara wouldn't bode well for Gaz Baz either, but he's part of our ageing present & Thiago could be part of our youthful future for a footballing generation.