Naby Keita dismisses January Liverpool move and 'has a lot still to achieve' with RB Leipzig
Liverpool look destined to be made to wait to bring Naby Keita to Anfield after the Guinea international followed his club RB Leipzig in ruling out an early move to the Premier League.
The Reds agreed to pay a club-record £48m fee – and an undisclosed premium - to last season's Bundesliga runners-up for Keita to move to Merseyside in the summer of 2018.
Though Keita will not officially join Liverpool until next year he was one of a number of players lured away from the Red Bull Arena, with Oliver Burke and Davie Selke also leaving on a permanent basis. But according to German football expert Lee Price, author of The Bundesliga Blueprint, Liverpool could yet be able to call upon Keita mid-way through the campaign.
"As I revealed back in June, Keita had agreed Though Keita will not officially join Liverpool until next year he was one of a number of players lured away from the Red Bull Arena, with Oliver Burke and Davie Selke also leaving on a permanent basis. But according to German football expert Lee Price, author of The Bundesliga Blueprint, Liverpool could yet be able to call upon Keita mid-way through the campaign.
"As I revealed back in June, Keita had agreed terms with Liverpool long ago, and it was just Leipzig playing hard ball," he told The Sun. "Cornered by his release clause of £48m kicking in next summer, the German club always knew that they'd have to come to an agreement this summer to maximise their income, hence charging Liverpool a premium to do the deal now.
"This makes sense for all parties – unless Keita picks up an injury. There is a chance, depending on Leipzig's domestic and Champions League progress, that Liverpool could pay a further premium to capture the midfielder in January. The deal also suits the Reds, as it safeguards them against Emre Can's expiring contract – with the German expected to complete a move to Juventus at the end of the season."
One potential stumbling block in any early deal for Keita is Leipzeig's participation in Europe. Last season's Bundesliga runners-up were drawn against Monaco, Porto and Besiktas in Group G of the Champions League and will rely on Keita to help them reach the knock-out stage. However, should he feature in the preliminary stage he would be ineligible for Liverpool in the competition if he moved to England later this season.
Liverpool made just four signings during the summer, with Mohamed Salah, Dominic Solanke, Andrew Robertson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain the new faces to arrive on Merseyside. The central narrative of the summer surrounded Philippe Coutinho's attempts to join Barcelona, a saga that is expected to re-emerge in January. The Brazil international is still keen on a move to the Nou Camp.
Naby Keita is looking forward to reuniting with his "big brother" Sadio Mane at Liverpool next season, with the Senegal international helping him settle in when the pair were together at Red Bull Salzburg.
Liverpool have a deal in place to recruit N. Keita, 22, from RB Leipzig next summer, with the midfielder set to link up with old friend Mane, 25, at Anfield.
The duo are former Salzburg teammates and Keita says it was Mane who made life easier for him following his arrival at the Austrian club.
"At first, I wasn't starting and it was very frustrating," Keita told Goal. "I didn't like it and it made the settling-in period harder. But Sadio said: 'My little brother, stay calm. Your chance will come and when it does, you will make the most of it.'
"He helped me with everything -- the language, making friends, understanding the club and the city. And, of course, he was right. Once I was put into the team, I showed my qualities and everything went much smoother.
"Salzburg improved me as a player and I learnt so much there, I got a really tactical education. Sadio was important for me, he still is. To me, he's my big brother. He really likes to learn new things, to improve and to push himself and we are the same in this way. He's a good example for me."
Mane is excited about the prospect of lining up alongside Guinea international Keita at Liverpool next season, and says he helped persuade him to move to Anfield.
"He is a really special player and is like family to me," Mane added. "We were close at Salzburg and still keep in touch. I enjoy watching him and look forward to helping him again when he comes next year.
"He asked me about Liverpool and I told him it is an amazing club with talented players, a greatly good manager and lots of ambition. The city and the people are really nice and he will feel at home here."
The Brazil international was strongly linked with Barcelona during the summer, and is believed to have handed in a transfer request in order to force a move to Camp Nou.
Liverpool ultimately rejected the interest in the 25-year-old, who has scored four goals and provided three assists in nine appearances for the Reds during the 2017-18 campaign.
According to Sport, however, Coutinho only wants to leave Liverpool for Barcelona, and will tell his representatives to ignore any offer that might arrive from the Ligue 1 giants.
Liverpool are believed to have rejected a bid in excess of £100m from Barcelona during the summer transfer window.
Barca: Messi fears his close friend will leave for Liverpool
Lionel Messi appears fearful that his friend and teammate Javier Mascherano will be on his way out of Camp Nue to Anfield. The legendary Barcelona defensive wizard has seen his role with the Blaugrana diminish, and expects to leave at the end of this current season.
While Mascherano supposedly wants to move to MLS, Dario Golis reporting that he’s received offers from Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, and, now, Liverpool. A return to his former club could benefit both parties as Jurgen Klopp’s side is in dire need of defensive help.
According to the same report, Messi has resigned himself to the fate that his good friend will leave the club. Additionally, the report claims he only has three close friends: Mascherano, Luis Suarez, and Gerard Pique. It remains to be seen how the captain will react if, and/or, when one of them leaves.
One thing is for certain, however, a departure from Nou Camp will become a reality for Mascherano.
