According to Florian Plettenburg, Jürgen Klopp now has another problem on his hands at Liverpool involving Naby Keita.
What’s the story?
Well, the £130,000-a-week man is now unhappy at Liverpool.
Keita was left out of the squad for the 2-2 draw against Fulham, and failed to come off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Monday.
The 27-year-old was also given just five minutes of action in the Community Shield win over Manchester City.
Plettenburg – a journalist for Sky Germany – believes the Guinea international was in talks over an extension to his contract at Anfield, although discussions with the Reds have now stopped.
The Sky Germany journalist adds that injuries to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Thiago will not affect the situation, and Keita’s departure is still possible.
Plettenburg concludes that the issue is still in the early stages and talks with take place soon between all parties.
Following back-to-back draws in the Premier League, injuries to the likes of Diogo Jota and Ibrahima Konate, and a three-match ban for Darwin Nunez, this is the last thing Klopp needed at Liverpool.
Naby Keita has failed at Liverpool
In our view, Liverpool should cut their losses and buy themselves a new central midfielder – Keita has had plenty of time to prove himself at Anfield, and is still yet to truly convince.
Of course, the Guinean is a tidy footballer, but for a sum of £52m and a salary of £130,000-a-week, the Reds have needed more from their No.8 since his arrival in 2018.
Klopp was already in need of a new central midfielder even before this news broke, so the German now has every reason under the sun to go into the market and spend big on a fresh face.
Crucially, Keita’s contract expires in June 2023, so Liverpool must sell now, or they risk losing him for nothing next year.
Keep an eye on this situation, as it could see Liverpool force Julian Ward into doing some business as we approach the August 31st deadline.
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