FC Barcelona are reportedly set to step up their interest in signing Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita, who looks set to leave Anfield as a free agent at the end of this season.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan giants are in the process of finalising their transfer targets for the upcoming summer transfer window, and there is a chance that Keita could be on their final list as the midfielder looks ready to depart Liverpool for free.
Keita, who earns £120,000-a-week, has failed to hit the heights many expected from the midfielder ever since his arrival to Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2018, with the 28-year-old now set to cost the Reds a fortune by leaving the club for nothing come the end of the season.
As a result, some of Europe’s biggest clubs are now lining up to sign the Guinean international on the cheap, with Barcelona seemingly the leading side to sign the former Bundesliga superstar this summer, a move that Keita would find hard to turn down.
With Franck Kessie expected to leave the La Liga giants alongside Sergio Busquets this summer, Keita could be an ideal signing for Barcelona given the financial limitations the Catalan giants face ahead of the transfer window, with Xavi Hernandez’s side set for another huge period of acquisitions.
Indeed, as for Liverpool, allowing Keita to leave for free is nothing short of a financial disaster for the Reds, who could have to spend a hefty amount to replace the Anfield midfielder amid interest in the likes of Jude Bellingham and Nicolo Barella.
Barcelona signing Keita could be a sensational move for all parties
Keita’s Premier League career has been a strange one, with the Liverpool midfielder impressing in patches but spending a good chunk of his time on the injury table and playing second-fiddle for the likes of Jordan Henderson and Harvey Elliott. Yet a move to Barcelona could be perfect.
The nature of La Liga and playing for a club as big as Barca means Keita will be able to do what he does best in central midfield, and a change of scenery and clean departure from Liverpool could be exactly what the 28-year-old needs to get his career back on track.
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