Thiago Alcantara signs new Bayern Munich deal following Barcelona return links

Barcelona's hopes of luring Thiago Alcantara back to the Nou Camp have been all but extinguished after the Spanish international decided to commit his future to Bayern Munich by signing a new deal until 2021.

The 26-year-old midfielder was once considered as one of the best talents to emerge from the prolific La Masia academy, expecting to become into the long-term replacement of Xavi Hernandez at the first team.

However, Thiago decided to move with Pep Guardiola to Bayern in the summer of 2013 after growing frustrated with the lack of opportunities at the Nou Camp.

Barcelona have since regretted the decision and Cadena Ser reported last month that the club were considering to bring him back to the Nou Camp.

Andres Iniesta is already 32-years-old and the La Liga giants were said to be interested in signing either Thiago or Paris Saint-Germain star Marco Verratti to fill his gap in the long-term.

"Thiago is a good player and this type of player is always well-regarded at Barça but he has a contract [at Bayern]," Barcelona technical secretary Robert Fernandez recently said when asked about the midfielder's potential return to the club.

Sport later added that Barcelona would probably need to turn their attention somewhere else as Bayern had demanded €90m (£76.1m, $98.9M) to secure his services as Carlo Ancelotti considered him a key player in the future of the club.

It was improbable that Barcelona were going to pay such a fee for the brother of Rafinha after they let him go for only €25m in the summer of 2013.

But the deal now looks even more unlikely after Bayern have revealed that the midfielder has signed a new deal at the Allianz Arena until 2021.

"Following the announcement of Kingsley Coman's new deal until 2020, FC Bayern Munich have now also secured the services of Thiago Alcántara for years to come. The Spain international, whose original contract was due to run until 2019, has now put pen to paper on a deal until 2021," the club have confirmed.

"Thiago is one of the best and most coveted midfielders in Europe," chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge added. "We're very pleased as a club to be able to secure the services of such an amazing player for the long term."