Liverpool needs help in the center of the park, but won’t be getting Naby Keita earlier than the summer.
The Reds agreed a fee for the dynamic RB Leipzig star, but the Bundesliga club says they will not consider any offers from Liverpool to get him in January.
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And that’s true regardless of whether RBL makes it to the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League, says sporting director Ralf Rangnick.
“Even if we should not reach the knockout stages of the Champions League, it would make no sense to allow Naby to join Liverpool earlier. We want to qualify for Europe again and we need Naby for that.”
RBL is back second in the Bundesliga after a slow start in league play, and the 22-year-old Keita remains one of their top players via the eye test and advanced metrics. Not a real surprise here, but an important note for Reds fans hoping for better at Anfield.