Liverpool round-up: Keita deal agreed; club record bid for Lemar; Brazil pass Coutinho fit

By Sam Leveridge

Liverpool have agreed a deal with Red Bull Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita to join the club next summer, according to The Times journalist Paul Joyce on Twitter. The Guinean will join for £48 million, the fee dictated by a release clause in his contract, plus a premium in order to secure the deal 12 months early.

The deal will be a club record fee, breaking the previous amount set by Andy Carroll, and Keita will sign a five year contract starting on 1st July 2018 according to Goal. Keita was one of the club’s top targets this summer and this smart move could be a huge piece of business for the club.

That record fee may not last for long though, as The Telegraph say that the Reds have made two bids for Monaco winger Thomas Lemar, with the latest being worth £64.6 million. The French winger has been linked with Arsenal throughout the transfer window but could now be heading to Anfield instead.

The 21-year-old recorded some of the most impressive stats of the Monaco side that won Ligue Un last season, creating their highest number of chances. Lemar caught the eye with that form and could now look to replicate it in the Premier League if Liverpool can bring him to England.

That will immediately raise doubts over the future of midfielder Philippe Coutinho. It has not been helped by the fact that Brazil have passed Coutinho fit and are preparing to select him to start against Ecuador in a fixture in the early hours of Friday morning, according to BBC World Service journalist Fernando Duarte.

Coutinho had claimed to be suffering from a back injury and illness, which had stopped him from playing for Liverpool in the past few weeks. The playmaker is yet to feature for the Reds this season and has not even made the bench amid intense speculation linking him with a move to Barcelona.