Top 22-year-old’s club respond to ‘boring’ Liverpool transfer reports
RB Leipzig's chief executive insists the German club are under no pressure to sell Naby Keita to Liverpool
RB Leipzig’s chief executive has branded speculation linking Naby Keita with a move to Liverpool as “boring”.
The Reds have been heavily linked with a move to sign the Guinea international in the summer transfer window as Jurgen Klopp looks to bolster his squad ahead of a return to the Champions League.
Keita has been touted as a potential target for the Merseyside outfit given the African’s impressive performances throughout the 2016-17 Bundesliga campaign.
The 22-year-old box-to-box midfielder scored eight goals and made nine assists in 31 appearances in the German top flight in his first season with RB Leipzig.
Keita moved to the German runners-up in a £12.75m deal from Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg last summer but RB Leipzig are thought to be demanding £70m for the midfielder.
And the Bundesliga outfit’s chief executive Oliver Mintzlaff poured cold water on talk of Keita moving to Liverpool from RB Leipzig this summer.
Asked whether RB Leipzig would be “immune” to offers for Keita and his team-mate Timo Werner, Mintzlaff is quoted as saying by the Independent:
“Yes. And that topic is boring.
“It’s only our second Bundesliga season, our squad’s still the youngest and most likely also the most inexperienced.
“Sure, it would be great to start where we left off. It’s an advantage that there’s no upheaval.”
Liverpool have already signed England Under-20 international Dominic Solanke and AS Roma winger Mohamed Salah in the summer transfer window so far.
