Liverpool In Talk With RB Leipzig Over Early Move For Naby Keita

RB Leipzig have confirmed that they will not allow Naby Keita to join Liverpool during the January transfer window. Jurgen Klopp‘s side reached an agreement with the Bundesliga club last summer to sign the midfielder for an initial £48 million. The conditions of the deal meant that Keita was to remain with RB Leipzig for one more season before joining Anfield this summer. But following the decision to sell Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona, Liverpool have explored the possibility to bringing Keita to the Premier League slightly earlier.

But on Sunday, RB Leipzig released a statement which insisted that they would not approve any deal. ‘Naby Keita will remain an RB Leipzig player until 30th June 2018. We wish to put the speculation about a January move to Liverpool to bed,’ the statement read. The German club’s director Ralf Rangnick added: ‘We won’t allow Liverpool to sign him early, even though they have shown renewed interest to bring him in during this transfer window.’