Leipzig open to Keita joining Liverpool in January

Hasenhuettl’s comments echo those made by Leipzig chief executive Oliver Mintzlaff earlier this month, who insisted the dates on the contracts drawn up with Liverpool mean there can be no deal this month.

If Liverpool pay the upper end of that levy, it would make Keita the second most expensive midfielder ever signed by a Premier League club behind only Manchester United’s deal for Paul Pogba.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is another, albeit very different, option in midfield and is getting to grips with Liverpool’s style of play following his summer move from Arsenal.

German magazine Kicker says Keita has not been impressing in training in a bid to force the German club’s hand.

The capture of Keita in January – even at a cost of £17 million extra – would be a huge boost for Liverpool.

“If I reveal numbers I will be breaking our agreement with Liverpool”.

Jardim believes the £142m sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona from Liverpool proves that every club will sell if the price is right.

Read the full story on Goal! . They feel his was an “isolated” case, and the player had expressed a desire to join Barcelona for years.

The Brazilian still has two years left on his existing five-year deal which he signed after joining the Reds from Hoffenheim for £29million in 2015.

City, however, will look to repeat their dominant 5-0 victory over Liverpool at the Etihad in September, although they will be without injured striker Gabriel Jesus, who scored a brace that day. Coutinho wanted nothing different, he etched for this move.

The Reds are set to net around €160 million from Coutinho’s move to Barcelona, and could be tempted to turn around and spend some of those funds on their former striker.

Nevertheless, Mestre insists the Coutinho fee is much less than they could have paid, although Liverpool always denied claims in the Spanish press they had quoted 200m euros (£176m) to Barca for a summer transfer.