Liverpool are set to see their midfield options bolstered this summer with the addition of Naby Keita but a major twist in the market could save the Reds millions in transfer fees.
The Times states Liverpool could pay up to £11m less for the services of Keita due to RB Leipzig’s struggles to secure a continental spot in the Bundesliga again this term.
With three matches remaining, Leipzig sit sixth in the standings, four points adrift of Bayer Leverkusen and four ahead of Borussia Monchengladbach- so an absence from Europe altogether could occur next year.
If Leipzig qualify for the Champions League, Liverpool would have to pay the full £59m figure for Keita but that price would drop to £52.75m if the German side qualify in the Europa League, while a finish below seventh spot, and an absence from Europe, would see the price Liverpool have to pay plummet to £48m.
Leipzig play Mainz, Wolfsburg and Hertha Berlin in their final matches and the most likely scenario at the moment would see last year’s runners-up qualify for the Europa League.
