Naby Keita’s move to Liverpool appears to be getting closer and an image has appeared online showing him wearing the shirt, but is it real?
The two clubs agreed on a deal last summer for the Guinean to move to Anfield at the end of the season, but reports surfaced on Friday evening that the Reds convinced Leipzig to get the move done early. Jurgen Klopp was initially prepared to wait for Keita but after losing Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona, he is reportedly desperate to get the deal done now.
As reported by the Mirror, Keita is seen holding the Liverpool shirt with the number 8 with Liverpool’s sponsors on it has been doing the rounds on social media sites.
Earlier today, Bundesliga expert Lee Price who has written books on German football, told Express:
“Leipzig face Schalke in the clash of the weekend in the Bundesliga. Win and they potentially go second, lose and there will be a five-point gap. But it will be important for more than just the league table.
“Leipzig don’t play at home for another two weeks after this one and it’s likely what happens here could be a big indicator of Keita’s mindset.
“We saw Coutinho wave to all corners of Anfield days before he was sold to Barcelona and Keita could do the same.
“While the last few weeks have been difficult, it’s a club he holds in high regard and he wants to go out in good grace. He doesn’t want to be remembered with any bad feelings.”
However, RB Leipzig manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has recently played down suggestions of an earlier departure of the Guinean to the Premier League and Unibet horse racing bets suggest the same.
“The current situation is that nothing changed. We do not have a reason to sell Keita any time before the end of the season. That’s it,” Hasenhuttl was quoted by Sky Sports.
“He will play at the weekend against Schalke 04 and hopefully he does well. That’s the only thing I really care about. I think that Naby wants to finish the season in a good way in Leipzig. He wants to leave a good impression.
“He made many good games for the club – in my opinion, I think that he will put everything into the rest of the season. He probably wants to do some self-promotion before he leaves. He does not want to leave without showing all his qualities since he had some weak games in the first part of the season.”
As far as Keita’s leaked image is concerned, I feel it has been photoshopped in order to fuel further speculation of an early move to Liverpool.
