Report: Liverpool prepared to pay club-record fee for Leipzig's Keita

Liverpool is ready to break the bank to secure the services of RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita.

Despite Leipzig's insistence that the 22-year-old is not for sale this summer, Liverpool is prepared to launch a bid to sign Keita and eclipse the club-record fee paid to Newcastle United for Andy Carroll in 2011, according to Phil McNulty of the BBC.

A report earlier this week indicated that a deal for the Guinean international could cost the Reds as much as £70 million even though his release clause is believed to be worth £48 million.

Liverpool recently came close to matching its club-record transfer after paying Roma £34 million for Mohamed Salah, which barely falls short of the £35 million paid for Carroll six years ago.

McNulty points out that it's not yet known whether Keita would be interested in joining the Merseyside outfit.

The reported valuation is a massive jump from the €15 million Leipzig paid sister club Red Bull Salzburg last year.

Keita is just one of a number of Leipzig players tipped for a move this summer, joining the likes of Timo Werner and Emil Forsberg, who was also linked with a transfer to Liverpool.

Keita completed his first Bundesliga campaign with eight goals and seven assists for a Leipzig team that finished in second place behind champion Bayern Munich.