Jurgen Klopp is reportedly determined to sign Naby Keita from RB Leipzig despite a steep £50 million asking price.
According to a report by Goal, Liverpool remain strong contenders in signing Naby Keita from RB Leipzig as the youngster’s high transfer fee will not be an issue. The Reds will have to make a move soon since Keita has been receiving numerous offers and Leipzig are waiting for the best offer before agreeing to a sale.
Keita has set high standards last season after putting up scintillating displays for the German club. While many expected RB Leipzig to do well, nobody expected them to pose a serious title challenge after being newly-promoted to the top flight, and Keita has been a crucial aspect in that.
The 22-year-old has been the rock in the transition of Leipzig’s quick attacking style which allowed their strikers to flourish. Adept at disrupting opposition attacks, Keita also has the capacity to push a through ball back into the danger area for the forwards to capitalize upon.
In fact, he seems like an ideal fit for the kind of midfielder Klopp has been wanting at Liverpool since he is versatile and can play central, attacking or defensive midfield. The Merseyside manager has used a 4-3-3 formation for a good majority of his career with specific roles for midfielders.
While Keita can easily fulfill any of those roles, he does seem to do his best when he has the freedom to travel up and down the pitch in a box-to-box role. He is very energetic so that can suit the high intensity of Klopp’s general style of play and can make worthy contributions in both halves.
The young midfielder can offer competition to several Liverpool players if he does join Anfield this summer. Klopp can either use him in the advanced midfield role instead of Adam Lallana or change to the 4-4-2 diamond formation permanently.
Doing so will push Emre Can to play the anchor role, as Wijnaldum and Keita perform the box-to-box roles and Phillipe Coutinho operates behind two strikers.
The signing of Keita would give Jurgen Klopp plenty of options and increase the competition in midfield. Liverpool are also expected to make a move for £30 million-rated FC Porto midfielder Ruben Neves. The Reds will be able to save money if they sign Neves but Keita does seem like a better prospect because of his versatility and sheer talent.
