Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol has said that there is a “good possibility” that the Reds will manage to land RB Leipzig’s Naby Keita and Southampton skipper Virgil van Dijk this summer.
Liverpool’s pursuit of the former has been well documented and for all right reasons. Liverpool will be plying their trade in the Champions League next season, hence, a sustainable depth for almost every position will be something Klopp would primarily prefer. Furthermore, given the fact that Keita ticks all the boxes of being a perfect Klopp-type player, a heavy bid is expected.
The Reds first tried testing Leipzig’s resolve by offering a club-record fee of £57million for the Guinean international, but the German outfit firmly rejected the bid, claiming that they won’t be selling any of their first-team regulars this summer, not even for a high bid. Following that, a recent story from the Telegraph, has quoted that Liverpool have now offered a stagerring £66million for the 22-year-old, but have seen a similar fate this time around as well.
Confirming the news, Leipzig’s sporting director Ralf Rangnick revealed that an offer of around €75million (£66m) was received for Keita, but went on to add that Keita won’t be leaving until he fulfils his contract with the club.
“Recently, a €75 million offer for Naby Keita came into the club,” he told Sportbild.
“[We said] no way. He still has a contract, and he will fulfil it. To sell him would not only be a proof of mistrust for our fans, but also the wrong sign for our other players, such as Timo Werner, who are also in demand. We do not sell players who are still under contract just to make a lot of money.”
Virgil van Dijk, on the other hand, was close on moving to Anfield. However, Southampton accused the Reds on the account of an illegal approach for the player. Liverpool eventually went on to issue a public apology and mentioned that they have officially dropped off their interest in signing the defender.
After all this drama, former defender Nicol still believes that Liverpool will find a way to break out a deal for the duo.
“I’m going to say that there’s a good possibility that both [Keita and Van Dijk] might happen,” Nicol told ESPN FC.
“I think Keita is more expensive, just maybe. I think he gives you more. Box to box, he can score goals, he’s somebody who you can maybe put the team on his back in a couple of years when he’s a little bit more experienced. He’s still only 22.”
We are certainly in need of these two players as they would significantly improve the overall quality of our squad. Only time will tell us if we’ll sign them or not.
