German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig’s director has come out in the open and has admitted what forced them to sell their star midfielder Naby Keita (Liverpool Echo) to us. It was one of the successful sagas of the summer for the Reds who prioritised deals for Virgil van Dijk and Naby Keita. We all know how the chase of Van Dijk ended, with the Dutch defender staying back at Southampton.
It was the deal for Keita that brought joy to the fans, with the Reds managing to clinch a £48m move for the midfield lynchpin. Although the highly-rated Guinean international will not arrive at Anfield until next season, it was a signing that brought cheers to the Kop faithful.
Keita’s energy is highly valued at Leipzig and that was one of the reasons why manager Jurgen Klopp chased his signature. The side looked bereft of ideas against Tottenham in the previous fixture and am sure the manager would have loved to have Keita on his side.
Widely regarded as one of the finest of his trade in the Bundesliga, Klopp feels that Liverpool did well to sign the player for next season; after how the initial blows in the transfer saga were landed.
Leipzig played hardball in the transfer initially, almost mirroring the stubbornness of Southampton in Van Dijk saga. It looked in balance for most of the summer, only for the deal to go through in the most unexpected circumstances.
So, what made Leipzig climb down? As indicated by their sporting director Ralph Rangnick, it was the might of the Reds and their wage structure set up that tilted the scales in their offer.
He was discussing their star player with the German publication Kicker and indicated that Leipzig would have been able to keep hold of their prized asset if it were not Liverpool’s interest.
“He’s one of the best I’ve worked with in 20 years of professional football,” he was quoted by Liverpool Echo
“I’d also prefer, 10 times, that we’d kept him for another five years – but we are just not able to pay salaries in excess of €10m.”
Keita had a release clause in his contract that could have been activated in 2018. Even if Leipzig didn’t agree to his sale, we could have got the man by activating the release clause.
In the end, it is fair to say that the deal is a good result for all the three parties – the player, Leipzig, and Liverpool. Only that, the fans can’t wait for the next season to roll in!
