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Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita has reportedly been offered to La Liga champions Atletico Madrid after three unimpressive seasons at the Merseyside club.
Keita signed for Liverpool in a deal worth £48million back in 2017 when he was with RB Leipzig. He, however, joined the Reds only in 2018, but has failed to stamp his authority during two of Liverpool's best seasons in the Premier League. Injuries haven't done him any favors either and he might now be on his way out of the club.
According to reports in Spanish publication AS (via Sports Witness), Keita's representatives have offered the 26-year-old to Atletico Madrid. The midfielder is unlikely to be an integral part of Jurgen Klopp's plans for the upcoming season, and thus looking for potential suitors does make sense.
However, as the report claims, Atletico rejected the advancements as they do not believe the Guinean international will improve their squad. Diego Simeone's side are instead focussing on their pursuit of Udinese midfielder Rodrigo De Paul.
In three injury-affected seasons, Keita has made 76 appearances for Liverpool across competitions, scoring seven and assisting four goals.
The long-term future of Naby Keita is with Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp claimed last month that Keita's 'long-term future' is with Liverpool. The latest developments, however, make it seem otherwise.
Even if Liverpool do ultimately sell him, they'll find it hard to recoup most of the £48 million they paid for him.
“Naby trains really well in the moment, I have to say. He trains really well, like a lot of other players, and looks really good in training. But this year now we need stability.
“We will make changes from time to time definitely, but it’s not like we pick now seven, eight, nine players to change and say, ‘Maybe we can win it like this.’ The long-term future of Naby Keita, from my point of view, is here, yes,” Klopp said of Keita's future.
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