‘Door open’ for Naby Keita to quit Liverpool as ‘fantastic’ replacement lined up – pundit
The “door is open” for Naby Keita to leave Liverpool this summer, according to Noel Whelan.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Premier League and England Under-21s striker suggested Adrien Rabiot would be an upgrade on Keita.
Italian outlet Calciomercato reported earlier this month (25 June) that Juventus want Keita in a swap deal for Rabiot.
Both players are 27 years old and have a year left to run on their contracts at Liverpool and Juventus, respectively.
“Both are fantastic players, no doubt about that,” Whelan told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“It’s not the first time that Keita’s been talked about in a swap deal in this window.
“It seems to me that Jurgen Klopp is looking for something more than Keita can give him at this time or else you wouldn’t even be thinking about including him in a deal to bring in another player.
“It seems to me that the door is open for Keita to make a move and Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp will be quite happy if he gets the right person in.
“Rabiot is a fantastic player, there’s no doubt about that. Only Klopp knows whether he can bring something different and what he needs to push that team forward and challenge better and harder in the Premier League.
“That could be the difference come the end of the season.”
As per the Athletic (27 June), Keita has not played more than half of the minutes available in a single season for Liverpool since his arrival in the summer of 2018.
In the 2021-22 campaign, he featured in 40 games across all competitions, including 23 appearances in the Premier League.
In other news, “integrity” is at stake as Jurgen Klopp is caught up in a Liverpool-Everton controversy.