Liverpool's record bid for Naby Keita is rejected by RB Leipzig as Bundesliga club insist midfielder is not for sale
The Guinean is understood to be keen on an Anfield move but Liverpool are meeting a brick wall in negotiations
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Your support makes all the difference.Liverpool have had a club-record £57.3m bid rejected for Naby Keita, with RB Leipzig once again stating the midfielder is not for sale.
The Guinea international is Jurgen Klopp's top target and there is confidence at Anfield that he is enchanted by the prospect of a move to the five-time European Cup winners.
But the Bundesliga runners-up remain insistent that they will not part with one of their shining lights, even though a clause in his contract is understood to make him available for £48m next summer.
Leipzig will play their first-ever Champions League campaign this season and believe they can kick on to challenge Bayern Munich for the title domestically. Selling Keita, in their mind, would undermine those ambitions.
Yet Liverpool are expected to persist and may go back with another bid, even though they are some way short of the £70m mark that was thought to be RBL's asking price until they hardened their stance.
A deal remains difficult to do without the player forcing Leipzig's hand, but Liverpool are painted into a corner by their failure to sign top defensive target Virgil van Dijk this summer. Should the new leadership fall short in two very high-profile pursuits it will put pressure on the club to swiftly secure replacements with the Reds pre-season already underway and the team due to travel to Asia next week.
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