Liverpool have a secret weapon to pull off a deal to sign Jamal Musiala as the Bayern Munich ace has already revealed he was in awe of Reds midfielder Thiago before he had broken into the first team at the Allianz Arena. Musiala joined Bayern from the Chelsea academy in July 2019, with Thiago staying in Germany for another 14 months before moving to Anfield in a PS20million deal. And the draw of Thiago could prove decisive as Musiala chooses his next club.

Musiala has rapidly become one of the best young attacking midfielders in Germany since making his debut for Bayern in 2020. The 20-year-old appeared on the bench as a teenager during his team's run to the Champions League title three years ago and is already a Club World Cup and four-time Bundesliga champion.

And his prodigious talents have also been recognised on the international stage as the youngster has been capped 25 times by Germany, starting all three of his country's World Cup matches last year after featuring during Euro 2020.

Musiala is said to be attracting interest from the biggest clubs in Europe, with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City joining Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona in the quest for his signature. But the Reds could have the upper hand on their transfer rivals as Musiala could be pulled to Anfield by the allure of Thiago.

Speaking to the BBC in 2020, Musiala recalled his early days as Thiago's team-mate at Bayern. "When I first came in it was Thiago [who caught the eye in training]," the young star explained. "His passing technique was just amazing to watch but it's a lot of the players. [Robert] Lewandowski, it's his finish and stuff, or Joshua Kimmich's technique as well. It's all top."

Musiala has been tipped to replace Mohamed Salah at Anfield, with the Egypt international previously being linked to a mega-money move to Saudi Arabia. Liverpool could decide to cash in on 31-year-old Salah next summer, a year before his contract in the north west expires.

Thiago starred for Liverpool after moving to the Premier League and helped the club win the FA Cup and Carabao Cup in 2022. He has featured 97 times for Jurgen Klopp's side and has contributed three goals and six assists.

But the Spain international endured a tough campaign last time around and is yet to feature this season after undergoing a hip operation in the spring. Thiago is out of contract at the end of the campaign so it remains to be seen whether Musiala would get the chance to play alongside the 32-year-old even if he did complete move to England.