Reds to improve bid for Keita
LIVERPOOL are going to step up their bid to tempt RB Leipzig into selling Naby Keita with a £65 million offer.
Jurgen Klopp has made The Guinea international his number one target and is looking to smash the club transfer record for the second time this summer.
The Reds have had a £57m bid rejected by last season’s Bundesliga’s runners up but aren’t giving up hope of pushing through a sale.
They are looking to take advantage of a split in the Leipzig camp with sporting director Ralf Rangnick insisting that Keita isn’t for sale.
While head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl and chairman Oliver Mintzlaff are ready to sell for around £70m, which is still someway of from what Liverpool are offering.
But former Liverpool star Didi Hamann has urged his team to pay the going rate for the 22-year-old.
“He’s a class player,” the German told Sky Sports. “He links up very, very well. He can play the holding role and the role a bit further forward, which I think is his better position.
“Last season he scored goals and set goals up. He’s a very capable player.
“Is £70m too much? If it’s market value, I think we’ve got to get away from people saying a player isn’t worth it, that’s what the prices are like now and that’s it.”
Liverpool are ready to back Klopp who paid a record £36m for Mohamed Salah and who is set to take Hull City leftback Andrew Robertson to Anfield.
Klopp see’s the £8mrated Scotland star as the answer to his left-back problems which saw James Milner fill in for the majority of last season.
Hull are willing to sell Robertson and have asked Liverpool for highly rated youngster Ryan Kent on a seasonlong loan as part of the agreement. – Express Newspapers