Liverpool have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita after the club’s chief executive ruled out the departure of any of their star players this summer.
Jurgen Klopp’s side broke their club-transfer record to sign Roma winger Mohamed Salah on Wednesday night and they are prepared to shatter it once again to sign the Guinea international.
Keita was one of the standout performers in the Bundesliga last season as newly-promoted Leipzig finished behind champions Bayern Munich in second and the club have constantly reiterated the fact he is not for sale.
Leipzig will play in the Champions League for the first time in their history next season and their chief executive, Oliver Mintzlaff, has told Liverpool to look elsewhere for a new central midfielder.
“It would be irresponsible to let one of our top performers leave now,” he told Germany outlet BILD, via The Daily Mail. “Emil [Forsberg] and Naby are extremely talented and promising players. We are glad that we, as a club, are aiding their development and will now be able to prove ourselves in the Champions League.
“There are no concrete offers. But of course, the guys have attracted great interest through their performances. That’s normal, but we aren’t dealing with that.”
Keita played a direct hand in 15 goals in 31 league appearances during his debut campaign in the Bundesliga last season. Furthermore, only three players completed more dribbles than the Leipzig No.8 (130).
For more stats on Naby Keita, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
