Keita kitted out for Liverpool?
LIVERPOOL may have taken one step closer to signing Naby Keita after his club RB Leipzig omitted him from their kit launch for the new season.
The Bundesliga runners up had seemingly priced the Reds out of a move for their star midfielder by slapping a £70m (RM392m) price tag on Keita, who has only been with Leipzig for one season after joining from sister-club Red Bull Salzburg.
Liverpool’s proposed deal of £45m (RM252m) would still represent a huge profit for Leipzig, but having qualified for the Cham- pions League for the first time last season, the Bundesliga upstarts are thought to be in no mood to sell.
However, the club’s latest activity suggest they may be willing to bend to Liverpool’s will after they released a video clip of their new home strip but with Keita absent. Six Leipzig players are featured in the 33-second clip in total.
The 22-year-old is seen by Jurgen Klopp as the all-action midfielder his team needs, combining power and energy with a slick passing ability.
As well as Keita, Klopp is also understood to be keen on Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, with the Gunners needing to sell this summer to keep their wage budget within Premier League rules if they are to keep Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.
Liverpool are also keeping tabs on Keita’s Leipzig teammate Timo Werner, after his goals fired the east German side into a second-place finish behind Bayern Munich.
Only three strikers scored more times than Werner’s 21 strikes over the course of the Bundesliga season and the Reds want a natural goalscorer to help deal with Champions League football.
Chelsea’s Dominic Solanke is already set to arrive at the end of his contract on July 1st, while Hull’s Andrew Robertson is an option at leftback given James Milner had been forced to play there throughout this season. – The Independent