German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig are interested in signing Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita this summer.
That’s according to The Daily Mail, who claim that Keita is attracting interest from Germany, namely from the team he left for £48m in 2018.
However, Liverpool reportedly have ‘no intention’ of selling the Guinean this summer. They’d supposedly rather risk losing the 27-year-old on a free transfer next year.
The Reds reportedly hope it doesn’t come to that, though. It’s claimed that they still hope to reach an agreement over a new contract with Keita to keep him at the club long-term.
The Mail also claim that Liverpool have been ‘assessing’ short-term midfield options in the transfer market. Finally, they report that Jude Bellingham is ‘expected’ to join the club next summer.
Urgency ramps up on Naby’s new deal
Keita’s situation has been simmering along all summer without too much urgency. Examine the cards at play though, and it really is an urgent matter for the club.
Should the Guinea captain push to leave in the next two weeks, then Liverpool really don’t have anyone to replace him.
It will surely be too late to do the kind of deal that the club want for a new midfielder. As a result, Liverpool could be left high and dry.
Of course the club could ask him to stay, but there’s no use having an unhappy player around.
Instead, it’s suddenly very important that Keita be tied to a new contract. Even if he would be happy to stick around before leaving next summer, that would mean The Reds have three midfielders out of contract in a year’s time.
That would simply leave too much to do in the transfer market.
Bellingham’s arrival would be a huge piece of business, but he would have to be joined by at least one, possibly two more. One of those could still be Matheus Nunes, who has now joined Wolves from Sporting Lisbon.
Jurgen Klopp reportedly sees Keita as part of his strongest XI at Liverpool. If that’s true then the club have no choice but to keep Naby around. For a number of reasons, Liverpool need to sort his contract out and make any interest from Germany irrelevant.
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