£52m PL star now decides he wants to leave after being linked with Tottenham move - journalist

By Sam Preston

Naby Keita wants to leave Liverpool in the summer transfer window amid reported interest from clubs including Tottenham.

According to a report from 90min, Spurs are considering a swoop for Keita as a free agent in the summer with his Anfield contract situation unresolved.

And a report by TeamTALK claims that Keita wants to leave Anfield, with journalist Graeme Bailey sharing the reasons for his discontent.

Keita has actually been in the Liverpool team lately but his issues date back to last season when he was left out of the Champions League final starting XI.

Tottenham target Keita wants to leave Liverpool

Bailey said: “One who is heading out looks to be Keita, but his situation is a complicated one. I understand he still feels aggrieved by many situations at the club. Jurgen Klopp loves him as a player, always has, and ideally I am told he would like him to stay. Indeed, at 27 he is arguably coming to his peak, or at the very least should be.

“Keita’s decision is based on what happened last summer. He was left out of the Champions League final which hurt him. He had produced some brilliant displays before the big clash with Real Madrid and genuinely thought he was going to start that game in Paris.

“But that was followed up by a big reason for him now seemingly heading to the exit door. And that was the fact that Liverpool did not reward him for his form. He produced what he thought was his best ever form for Liverpool and indeed in his career. But talks were not forthcoming and this hurt him, and concerned him in equal measure.

“Now, despite seeing some increasing game time in recent weeks, he is not really thinking of staying at Anfield. And while you can’t rule out a late offer, he already has interest from the likes of Inter and AC Milan, Lyon and perhaps interestingly RB Leipzig.”

Keita has not shown his best form often enough at Liverpool and his time at Anfield has been beset by injuries throughout.

From a Spurs perspective, there is a concern that Daniel Levy would be going for Keita because he is a player who once cost £52 million, available for free.

That is rather than actually being the right fit for Antonio Conte’s project, and also not taking into account that if a player is not available regularly, it does not matter how good they are really.