Leipzig confirms Liverpool-bound Keita won't leave until June
RB Leipzig has ended Liverpool's hopes of expediting Naby Keita's move to Anfield, confirming in a statement Sunday that the Guinean midfielder will remain with the Saxony outfit until the end of the season.
OFFICIAL: Naby #Keïta will remain an #RBLeipzig player until 30th June 2018. We wish to put the speculation about a January move to @LFC to bed. pic.twitter.com/Cilx09m24e
— RB Leipzig English (@RBLeipzig_EN) January 14, 2018
Liverpool tried to accelerate the player's transfer following Philippe Coutinho's £142-million move to Barcelona. Jurgen Klopp's side was even prepared to add more money on top of the £55-million fee it reportedly agreed to pay in the summer, but the offer apparently wasn't enough.
"We won't allow Liverpool to sign him early, even though they have shown renewed interest to bring him in during the transfer window," sporting director Ralf Rangnick said. "As everyone knows, we are not a selling club, therefore it would only have been possible had we reached a mutual agreement involving an exorbitant additional fee. That is not the case."
Leipzig has maintained since the initial deal was struck in August that Keita would stay put to help the club's push for Champions League qualification. The German club is due to receive as much as £66.7 million if it secures a direct berth in next season's competition, according to a previous report from Kicker.
The 22-year-old scored the first goal in Saturday's 3-1 win over Schalke to lift Leipzig into second place.