Liverpool will pay less for Naby Keita as RB Leipzig fail to qualify for Champions League

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Bengaluru, May 13: Liverpool will have to pay RB Leipzig 60 million pounds for Naby Keita, thanks to some interesting clauses in the deal. Liverpool had to shell out 66 million pounds had Leipzig qualified for the Champions League, 60 million pounds if they made it to Europa league and 53 million pounds if they didn’t make it to Europe.

After finishing sixth in the Bundesliga this season, the Die Bullen will qualify for the Europa league, something which will definitely disappoint their supporters. They finished runners-up to Bayern Munich last season and the world was starting to talk about how Bayern might finally have a serious contender next season. Their disappointing tally of 53 points is a whopping 31 points behind Bayern’s, which invariably strengthens the one-team league argument describing the Bundesliga.

Their inability to make it to Champions League has definitely helped Liverpool save some money on a player who would have commanded much more in today’s inflated market. While many might claim the 60 million pounds paid for him is inflated enough, he has many traits that might justify the price. The biggest thing going for Keita is his age. At 23 years, Liverpool have bought a midfielder at the top of his game who will remain there for another five to seven years.

Doubters will refer to his recent red card record at RB Leipzig to claim he is a liability but his mazing runs and brilliant goals will definitely add to the flair that Liverpool are missing. With Phillippe Coutinho moving to FC Barcelona, Klopp has made a tactical switch where they rely less on a creative player and more on a direct runner to feed the front three. Klopp used this tactic brilliantly with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and his quick runs helped Liverpool produce some scintillating counter-attacks.

Emre Can is definitely not capable of such runs and Jordan Henderson has more or less been converted into a defensive midfielder for the Reds. This only leaves James Milner and Gini Wijnaldum, who are solid midfielders but aren’t close to Chamberlain in terms of his directness and speed. His injury has shown that Liverpool need another player to share his workload and that's where Keita comes in.

Considering the tactics that Klopp employs and the kind of team he wishes to build for the future, Keita is worth the 60 million pounds. If Liverpool manage to replace Can, who's heading for Juventus, with a good midfielder next season, it is safe to say that Liverpool are sorted in the midfield.