Transfer Centre

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp: 'No change in Naby Keita agreement'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 12 January 2018

Jurgen Klopp says that there has been no change in the agreement between Liverpool and RB Leipzig that will see Naby Keita join the Reds in the summer.

Jurgen Klopp has suggested that Liverpool will not pressure RB Leipzig into allowing Naby Keita to leave the club ahead of schedule.

The Reds agreed a deal last summer to sign the Guinea international, which will not officially go through until the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

Recent reports suggested that Liverpool were looking into the prospect of bringing the move forward by five months, though, as they are keen to bolster their midfield ranks for the business end of the current season.

Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuttl made clear on Thursday that he was not wiling to negotiate, however, and Klopp respects the German club's stance.

"My understanding is that there is nothing to say about it. That's how it is," he told reporters. "He is a player of Leipzig, that is what I know, and in the summer here, that is what I know as well."

The fee Liverpool will pay for Keita is dependent on Leipzig's final league position - £67m if they qualify for the Champions League and £57m should they miss out.