Liverpool could sign £45m star in January depending on Tuesday result, Turkish champions potentially hold the key
Liverpool could sign Red Bull Leipzig star man Naby Keita in January depending on how the Bundesliga side do over their next few games.
The Reds are already set to sign Keita for £45 million at the end of the season but could end up snapping him up earlier than expected according to the Express.
Super Lig champions Besiktas could hold the key to Liverpool pulling off the transfer ahead of schedule.
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Leipzig could be tempted to sell Keita in January should they lose to Besiktas in the Champions League on Tuesday.
German football expert Lee Price claims that Liverpool could sign Keita for a premium on top of the agreed fee.
Price, who has written books on the Bundesliga, understands the deal could be pushed forward and completed in January, however.
That is dependant on Leipzig’s performance in the Champions League and whether they hold any hope of challenging for the Bundesliga title.
Price told Express Sport: “I revealed back in June that Keita had agreed terms with Liverpool – and there’s a chance he could move earlier.
“Firstly, don’t get carried away – at the minute it’s only a slim chance and there are no agreements in place, except the one for Keita to move next summer.
“But there’s always been talk that, depending on Leipzig’s domestic and Champions League progress, Liverpool could pay a further premium to get the midfielder early.
“If Leipzig lose on Tuesday, expect Liverpool to hold more talks to discuss whether a January deal could be done.
“A win, on the other hand, would severely hamper any chances of Keita moving early as Leizpig won’t want one of their star players going anywhere.”
Besiktas won their opening Champions League game against Porto with a 3-1 away victory.
The Black Eagles became the first Turkish side to beat Porto in European competition.
Leipzig meanwhile drew 1-1 with Monaco and will have just one point from two games if they lose to the Istanbul giants.
