Liverpool are prepared to listen to offers for midfielder Naby Keita in a bid to offload him and use that transfer money elsewhere, as per ESPN.
The Reds need to bring in reinforcements this summer if they want to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title. But before Klopp can sign new players, he needs to get rid of all the deadwood.
The manager brought Naby Keita from Leipzig in 2018 with a lot of high hopes but the Guinean has failed to impress during his time in the English top flight and this season, he has fallen down the pecking order even more after the arrival of Thiago.
Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge recently claimed that despite his skills, Naby Keita has been a liability for the club and that Jurgen Klopp should be looking to offload him.
He wrote in The Sunday World: “Liverpool may need to sell some fringe players to fund the signing of new players this summer and for me, Keita is one of those who could be on the way out.
“We all had high hopes for this gifted performer when he was signed from RB Leipzig and you can see that he has great skills when he gets into an attacking position, but you need more than that in English football.
“Keita lacks pace and he doesn’t get back quickly enough when he loses the ball, which explains why Klopp has been reluctant to use him in high-intensity games.
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“I suspect Keita will head back to Germany, where his game may be better suited, and he won’t be the only player offered up for sale this summer.”
During the 2020-21 season, the 26-year-old has featured in only 10 Premier League games and it will not be harsh to say that the midfielder has been totally useless for Liverpool.
With Wijnaldum leaving many people thought Naby Keita will now be pushed up the pecking order but Klopp has clearly lost all faith in him.
The manager has a pretty solid midfield base in the form of Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago and it looks like the German would much rather sell Keita and use that money to bring in a new midfielder instead of trusting him next season.
As per TransferMarkt, Naby Keita is currently valued at £34.20 million and he has two more years left on his current deal so Liverpool should be able to get a good enough transfer fee for him this summer.
