Liverpool reach Naby Keita contract conclusion with final decision made after Jurgen Klopp veto
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After Naby Keita began to amass some gametime again, Liverpool have made a decision about whether to extend the midfielder’s contract or not, according to a report.
There are only six months remaining on Keita’s deal at Anfield. He has been with the club since 2018 after a transfer from RB Leipzig. However, it has been hard for the Guinea international to meet expectations due to a range of injury issues.
Now in his fifth season with the club, Keita has 123 Liverpool appearances to his name. Only seven have come this season after some hamstring problems. That said, he has managed to play a part in all four of the club’s Premier League fixtures since the World Cup.
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Therefore, there has recently been a feeling that Liverpool could perform a U-turn regarding Keita’s future. For a brief moment in time, a contract renewal was not out of the question.
After all, Jurgen Klopp remains a big fan of the 27-year-old. Now he can call upon him again on the pitch, there may yet be time for Keita to convince his manager to keep him around.
But an update from Football Insider has delivered Keita his fate. According to the website, Liverpool will be getting rid of the midfielder at the end of the season.
It is claimed that contract talks are now over, without an agreement having been reached.
Liverpool were trying to get their number eight to accept a pay-cut due to his lack of availability. Their attempts were unsuccessful, since there has been no compromise. As such, Keita will leave Liverpool on a free transfer later this year.
They knew his value had declined from what they originally paid for him. But getting nothing at all when he leaves will be a blow.
Yet a January transfer is out of the question, too. According to Football Insider, Klopp has blocked the idea of Liverpool selling him in January. Right now, he still feels short of midfield options and has a place in his plans for Keita.
But their association will only last for another six months. Then, it will be time for the former RB Salzburg star to head off elsewhere.
It remains to be seen what the next step for Keita will be. No interested clubs are mentioned in the report, but someone will surely be willing to take a chance on him.
Any next taker will be hoping he can recapture the form he showed at RB Leipzig. Although he became a Premier League winner with Liverpool, he has not enjoyed the most memorable spell on Merseyside.
To illustrate, he scored more goals and made more assists for both Salzburg and Leipzig, despite playing fewer games for each of them than he has for Liverpool.
Indeed, he has only managed 11 goals and seven assists in Liverpool colours. He contributed 20 and 11 for Salzburg in those categories, and 17 and 15 for Leipzig.
It was only at Liverpool, though, that he broke the barrier of 100 appearances. Yet although he has played more for the Premier League club, he hasn’t always made the most of his time on the pitch.
Therefore, Keita’s career as a Liverpool player, despite the occasional glimpse of quality, won’t really be remembered as a success.
But he has clearly made a decent impression on Klopp at least, so hasn’t been a total flop. Yet when Liverpool have got so many signings right in recent years, Keita stands out as an example of one that didn’t deliver on what was expected.
Midfield remains an area Liverpool need to upgrade with new signings. They will be hoping they can have more success when it comes to Keita’s replacement.
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