Tensions between Barcelona and Liverpool continue to escalate.
The two clubs have annoyed each other throughout the Philippe Coutinho saga and this latest development won’t ease relations one bit.
Catalan outlet Mundo Deportivo are reporting that the La Liga giants wish to sign Guinea international Naby Keita.
The 22-year-old RB Leipzig midfielder has been Jurgen Klopp’s top transfer target for the duration of the summer.
However, Liverpool and Leipzig failed to reach an agreement with the Reds supposedly postponing the transfer until next summer.
Now Barcelona could swoop in meet Leipzig’s £70million+ valuation of their highly-rated combative midfielder.
Barca failed to meet Nice’s asking price for Jean Michael Seri and are currently reviewing alternative options in terms of midfield recruitment.
Whether or not Liverpool’s interest in Keita was a factor in their reported interest in Keita we may never know but it seems awfully coincidental otherwise.
If Barcelona were to sign Keita they could feasibly use him as a bargaining chip to persuade Liverpool to finally part with Coutinho next summer.
Or they may just sign him as a giant middle finger to the Anfield club and their understandable reluctance to sell one of their best players.
Keita was said to be keen on a move to Liverpool and so there’s no reason he wouldn’t be at least equally up for a move to Catalonia.
Barca chiefs will have to act fast with only a few days of the transfer window left.
It seems the ripples of the Neymar saga are stretching far and wide…
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