Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita’s future at the club has been thrown into fresh doubt, with talks over a new contract at Anfield reportedly stalling.
The Lowdown: Clock ticking for Keita
The Guinean has endured a frustrating Reds career overall, showing glimpses of his quality but being limited to only 117 appearances in four-and-a-half years.
Keita’s current Liverpool deal expires at the end of this season, and while rumours have suggested that an extension could be coming his way, nothing concrete has emerged.
A fresh update now suggests that the opposite could be on the cards, however.
The Latest: Contract talks stall
According to Football Insider, Liverpool have ‘pulled the plug’ on talks with Keita over a new contract and are ‘willing to let him go’ next summer.
It is noted that the 27-year-old is able to sign a pre-contract agreement with another club in January, prior to joining them at the end of the campaign.
Injury expert Ben Dinnery has added that Keita “has only played 26% of the league minutes available since he came to the club”.
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The Verdict: Time to sell?
Keita’s ability as a footballer is hard to question – Virgil van Dijk has described him as ‘world-class’ in the past – but his constant unavailability due to injury is now a major problem.
He hasn’t played a single minute of Premier League action for the Reds this season, and such a lack of playing time suggests that it would make little sense to offer him a new deal.
Instead, Liverpool should cut their losses with Keita in the summer, accepting that this was a high-profile transfer that simply hasn’t worked out, with Jurgen Klopp rebuilding his midfield without him.