Liverpool’s £52m ace could join new club next week with medical planned

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Departing Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita will reportedly undergo a medical at Werder Bremen next week as he closes in on a return to the Bundesliga following five injury-hit years in the Premier League. 

With all due respect to Werder Bremen, this is a big step down from some of the other clubs Naby Keita has been linked with in recent months. 

But perhaps the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan – all of whom reportedly expressed an interest at one point or another – came to the conclusion that the Guinea international was a risk not worth taking. And who can blame them, really?

Keita has missed over 80 games through a variety of injuries since joining Liverpool in a £52 million deal from RB Leipzig back in 2018 after all, starting a grand total of three Premier League matches last season. 

With Sky Germany and BILD reporting that Keita is now closing in on a move to Werder Bremen, then, perhaps this is a case of beggars not being given much room to ‘choose’.  

Naby Keita leaving Liverpool for the Bundesliga

Werder finished 13^th in the Bundesliga table last term; staying clear of the drop zone during their first year back in the top flight. What Ole Werner’s side lack in glamour, however, they perhaps make up for in offering Keita the sort of regular first-team football that would probably be beyond him at a more high-profile club. 

The 28-year-old midfielder is ‘very open’ to joining Bremen, negotiations already underway. Keita could even undergo a medical as early as next week, before signing a contract until the summer of 2026 at the Weser Stadion. 

Keita, meanwhile is one of a number of senior players heading out the door when his contract expires at the end of the month. James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Roberto Firmino are also departing, as Arthur Melo prepares to go back to Juventus. 

“It’s super emotional because we really say goodbye to, from my point of view, four Liverpool legends,” Klopp said in May.

“When people think about Naby, they probably think a few too many injuries in the time as well. But, when you look back at important games, you will realise how often he played in super important games for us and how often he performed in these games.”