Liverpool have reportedly reached an agreement with Bundesliga club RB Leipzig for the sale of midfielder Naby Keita
According to an exclusive reveal from The FirmBL, Liverpool have broken their club and Bundesliga transfer records to secure a deal for Naby Keita this summer. Keita, a long-time Liverpool target, is believed to have agreed personal terms for a five-year deal and is waiting to travel to Anfield for a medical.
The deal is understood to be worth £70 million but it is yet to be finalized. Keita has been one of the key figures at RB Leipzig and has a contract with them until 2020, so that explains the staggering amount charged by the club.
Jurgen Klopp has been clear about wanting to strengthen his midfield ranks ahead of Premier League and Champions League commitments next season and Keita has been on his radar for months now.
Interestingly, if the deal goes through, Liverpool will break their transfer record for the second time this summer after signing Mohamed Salah from AS Roma for £36.9 million.
22-year-old Keita has been a pillar of strength for the German club as his presence allowed RB Leipzig to transition effectively into employing a speedier attacking style, allowing their strikers to flourish. Adept at ending opposition attacks, Keita also has the capacity to push a through ball into the danger area for the forwards to capitalize upon.
The Guinea international is versatile and can play central, attacking or defensive midfield which can only benefit Klopp since it does fall in line with what he wants. The Merseyside manager has used a 4-3-3 formation for a good majority of his career with specific roles for midfielders and Keita can do well in any of those roles.
Keita’s high energy levels can suit the high intensity of Klopp’s general style of play, thereby providing scope for creating more chances. The midfielder can also offer competition to several Liverpool players if he does join Anfield.
Klopp can either use him in the attacking midfield – which might seem a bit unlikely given the current squad status of Adam Lallana – or in a more withdrawn central position.
Doing so will push Emre Can out of the playing eleven while Georginio Wijnaldum and Keita perform the box-to-box roles and Phillipe Coutinho can operate behind two strikers.