Liverpool have reportedly submitted a third bid for RB Leipzig playmaker Naby Keita with the amount said to be around the €83 million mark.
German publication Bild are claiming that Liverpool have finally launched an audacious third attempt to land RB Leipzig playmaker Naby Keita. The Reds have already had two previous approaches knocked back by the Bundesliga side, who have maintained their firm transfer stance on the player’s availability.
However, the recent training incident – Keita injured a teammate with a harsh tackle which saw the manager call the training off and ordered the player to apologise – has perhaps had an effect on the club’s stance, with reports that manager Ralph Hasenhuttl is now open to selling the player.
EXCLUSIVE: Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuttl is open to Naby Keita leaving the club (not publicly). Ragnick continues to be the final hurdle.
— DaveOCKOP (@DaveOCKOP) July 21, 2017
The last part of the hurdle, though, is Director of Football Ralf Rangnick. However, if the player starts to become a disruptive figure in the dressing room, the club may decide to accept Liverpool’s offer after all, especially this time around as the Reds have lodged a mammoth €83 million bid.
Naby Keita has established himself as one of the most highly sought-after players in world football, with his skill on the ball and playmaking ability in the Bundesliga – the 22-year-old recorded 8 goals and 8 assists in 31 league appearances. In general, the player impressed with his command over the ball and the ability to dictate tempo.
Liverpool need a player in the same exact mould to be able to run things in the middle of the park. Jurgen Klopp’s gegenpressing system if combined with an arduous midfield trio could be the key to the club returning to being title contenders season-after-season.
Naby Keita himself has been reported to be keen on a move away from RB Leipzig and is interested in working under Klopp, with people hinting that his training incident could just be out of frustration of the lack of movement in the deal.
Bayern Munich, too, have been linked to the player while Barcelona was also touted as a potential destination this summer. However, Liverpool are steady leaders in the race to sign the player and their recently lodged €83 million bid could see them land the 22-year-old.
REPORTS: A fight has broke out at RB Leipzigs training ground involving Naby Keita…
He’s not a happy man. pic.twitter.com/NSB1fCCONt
— Anfield Edition (@AnfieldEdition) July 24, 2017
Klopp has been admirer of the player before his Leipzig days and had attempted to sign him earlier as well. It would be interesting to see if RB Leipzig accept the offer or hold out for an even bigger fee, with Liverpool unlikely to up their offer anymore.
If Leipzig do end up demanding more, we could see a repeat of the situation from the Virgil Van Dijk saga, which could become highly disruptive for the other players in the dressing room, something Hasenhuttl would want to avoid, especially with their club preparing for their first ever season in the UEFA Champions League.
