Bajcetic Close to Celta Vigo Return Amid Liverpool Talks
Liverpool’s midfield overhaul is not done yet. With Curtis Jones already on his way to Inter Milan in a deal that could climb to £30 million, the next departure may be the one that stings on a different level.
Stefan Bajcetic, once viewed as one of the brightest prospects at Anfield, is now close to a return to Celta Vigo, according to Faro de Vigo. Not on loan. Not as part of a long, complex transfer saga. Potentially via a clean break.
From rising hope to crossroads
Two years ago, Bajcetic looked like the prototype of Liverpool’s future midfield: calm on the ball, brave under pressure, intelligent without it. He stepped into senior football and immediately carried the profile of a modern holding midfielder who might save the club millions.
Then everything stalled.
Injuries have bitten hard, breaking up his rhythm and halting his progress at the worst possible time. Loan spells have failed to reignite that early surge. Now, with Andoni Iraola reshaping the squad and tightening the pathway to the first team, Bajcetic’s route back into Liverpool’s senior plans has narrowed dramatically.
He is still under contract until 2027. On paper, that looks like security. In reality, it has become the main obstacle to a move that increasingly feels inevitable.
Celta’s plan: rebuild, don’t rush
Celta Vigo’s interest is not sentimental window dressing. The Spanish club see an opportunity: bring back a homegrown talent, place him in surroundings he knows, and give him the platform to rebuild his continuity and fitness.
But they want to do it on their terms.
As reported in Spain, Celta would prefer Liverpool to terminate Bajcetic’s contract rather than negotiate a traditional transfer fee. That stance shifts the burden onto the player and Liverpool’s hierarchy. Is it worth holding onto a midfielder who has not played a senior game in more than two years, or is a clean break the most practical solution for everyone?
Celta’s sporting idea is also clear. Bajcetic would not be dropped straight into the first team. The plan is for him to start with Celta Fortuna, easing him back into competitive football before he is asked to carry the weight of La Liga again. It is a careful, staged reintegration rather than a headline-grabbing return.
Sevilla and Getafe have been mentioned during the window, but Celta carry something the others do not: emotional pull and developmental roots. This is where he grew up. This is where they believe he can start again.
Head coach Claudio Giráldez chose his words carefully when asked about the situation.
“If he's happy and we can reach an agreement, it would be a good situation, but I'm not thinking about that right now,” he said. “He's a homegrown player; I don't talk about players we don't have. If I talk about any of them, it's those who have been here before because we understand that we always have a stronger connection, and on top of that, we have a very good relationship. I coached him. If it happens, great, but I don't talk about players we don't have.”
Measured, respectful, but revealing. There is history there, and there is a door open if Liverpool and Bajcetic choose to walk through it.
Liverpool’s midfield gamble
At Anfield, the context is shifting quickly. Jones has gone. Bajcetic could follow. Yet the message from inside the club is that there are internal answers ready to step up.
Trey Nyoni and James McConnell are expected to help absorb the short-term gaps. Their emergence reduces the urgency to dive back into the market immediately and fits with a broader preference for a leaner, more streamlined midfield group rather than a bloated list of options.
It is a bold stance. Over a long season, depth can disappear in a matter of weeks. Liverpool are effectively betting that the loss of two technically gifted midfielders can be offset by youth, development and tactical clarity rather than another expensive signing.
If Bajcetic does leave, it will not feel like a routine squad trim. This is a player who once looked capable of anchoring Liverpool’s midfield for years. Now he might walk away without a transfer fee, rebuilding his career in a reserve side back in Spain.
A promising story nearing its final page
There is a sense that this is no longer a tentative discussion. The move is gathering pace. For Bajcetic, Celta Vigo offers something Liverpool can no longer guarantee: a realistic route back into regular, meaningful football. For Liverpool, it increasingly resembles the closing chapter of a story that never fully recovered from its early disruption.
Most supporters will understand if he goes. Many will wish him well. He arrived, offered hope at a difficult time, and showed flashes of a midfielder who belonged at the top level.
The frustration lies in what has been lost along the way. Injuries, stalled loans, and now the prospect of a contract termination. A player who once looked like part of Liverpool’s long-term core could slip away with a lingering question hanging over Anfield: are they clearing out too much talent in midfield without truly knowing what they are giving up?
