Naby Keita to Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp ready to lodge fresh £70m bid for RB Leipzig star

Posted Thursday, July 20, 2017 by Express.co.uk

Naby Keita to Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp ready to lodge fresh £70m bid for RB Leipzig star
Liverpool are preparing to lodge a fresh £70m bid to sign RB Leipzig star Naby Keita

LIVERPOOL are reportedly not giving up on trying to sign RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita.

Jurgen Klopp has made the Guinea international his No 1 target after securing a club-record £39million deal for Mohamed Salah from Roma.

Liverpool have been told by RB Leipzig that they must smash the club's transfer record again if they have any chance of signing Keita.

They have already had bids of £57m and £66.4m rejected by the Bundesliga side with the club insisting he is not for sale.

But The Daily Mirror claim the Reds are not giving up on trying to sign Keita.

It is said they are preparing to lodge an improved bid of £70m as Klopp bids to build a squad capable of coping with dual demands of the Premier League and possible Champions League campaign next season.

A decision on a fresh bid will be made early next week by the Merseyside outfit.

The Liverpool side are currently in Hong Kong for the Premier League Asia Trophy.

But sporting director Michael Edwards has remained in England to potentially broker a deal.

The Daily Mirror add Keita has a buyout clause of £50m that will become active next summer.

However, any chance of signing him now are slim with Leipzig owner Dietrich Mateschitz insisting they are wasting their time in trying to sign their prized asset now.

He said: "We don't sell any of our players just to get money. Lately we got a €75m [£66million] offer for Naby Keita. No way! He has a contract and he will accomplish it.

"To sell him would not only be a proof of distrust to our fans but also the wrong sign for our players like Timo Werner, who is in demand too."