Liverpool told to pay extra £17m to sign Keita this month

RB Leipzig will demand an extra £17m for Liverpool to sign Naby Keita this month, reports The Guardian.

Liverpool struck a £54m deal with RB Leipzig in the summer to sign Keita at the end of the current campaign but now they want to accelerate the transfer in the wake of Philippe Coutinho’s departure.

The Bundesliga outfit had categorically ruled out Keita’s departure this month as they look to qualify for the Champions League for the second season running, but they have now softened that stance.

However, Jurgen Klopp’s side will have to shell out another €20m (£17.7m) in order to secure the 22-year-old’s services this month, which would increase his total fee to nearly £72m.

Liverpool have already signed Virgil Van Dijk for £75m this month and the addition of Keita would only bolster their chances of finishing in the top four this season, with the title already out of reach.

Keita has not hit the same heights as last season but has still impressed for Leipzig this season.

In fact, only Neymar (6.3), Diego Perotti (6.2) and Yacine Brahimi (5.5) average more dribbles per game than Keita (4.8) in the Champions League this season, which is all the more impressive when you consider the Leipzig star is a central midfielder.