Plenty of Liverpool fans remained hopeful of seeing Naby Keita move to Anfield in January.
Having triggered Keita’s £48 million release clause in August, the Reds agreed a deal to allow the Guinean midfielder to remain in the Bundesliga for another season before joining up with the Reds on 1 July 2018.
But supporters kept their fingers firmly crossed over the possibility of seeing that move brought forward by six months so that he would be able to bolster the side’s midfield in the second half of the Premier League season.
Anyone else think Naby Keita's trying to force an early move to Liverpool in january. #LFC #YNWA
— Ian Meagher (@iano_lfc97) October 25, 2017
https://twitter.com/Dean96_/status/923279893646987264
Naby Keita sent off against Munich. Really wants that move to Liverpool in January I see 👀
— Roopa Vyas (@LFC_RV) October 25, 2017
How much to get Naby Keita in January instead of summer?
— george manchester (@Manchester_132) October 14, 2017
https://twitter.com/ClinicalFirmino/status/920258935097085952
Well, we’ve got bad news for those optimistic supporters because, apparently, there is no chance of the 22-year-old leaving his current side early.
“Even if we should not reach the knockout stages of Champions League, it would make no sense to allow Naby to join Liverpool earlier,” Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick told Leipziger Volkszeitung.
“We want to qualify for Europe again and we need Naby for that.”
Everyone's a comedian https://t.co/r6EeNly3sb
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) September 16, 2017
Keita has experienced a tumultuous start to the current Bundesliga season. While he’s left Liverpool supporters salivating with the odd thunderbolt, he’s also been sent off on multiple occasions and was involved in a preseason training ground bust-up with teammate Diego Demme.
That’s not to mention the trouble he’s found himself in with German prosecutors after allegedly submitting forged identification in order to receive an EU driving licence.
