Borussia Dortmund are among a number of clubs interested in signing Liverpool star Naby Keita, with the Guinea international now in the final year of his Anfield contract, which will see him become a free agent next summer.
What’s the word?
That is according to an update from the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano, who has shared the Bundesliga club’s interest in the 27-year-old via his Substack column with Caught Offside.
In his exclusive column, the Italian stated: “Borussia Dortmund are among 3-4 clubs around Europe interested in Naby Keita in case he becomes a free agent.
“The situation is still open with Liverpool, Naby wants guarantees to sign a new deal at Anfield, so it will be decided in the next months.”
A super swap-deal?
Right now, it is not clear as to whether Keita is being viewed as a like-for-like replacement for Jude Bellingham, the Dortmund star with whom Liverpool have been heavily linked of late. However, it does seem like a logical move, and one which could see the Reds prise the England international from the Bundesliga giants for a reduced outlay.
Keita is currently valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, with Bellingham said to be priced at a mammoth £130m by his employers.
Liverpool could seek to offer the Guinea midfielder to Dortmund in a cash-plus-player swap deal as a sweetener, which in turn could mitigate some of the seismic transfer see that it would take to sign the 19-year-old.
Bellingham is the more progressive asset, but not by much, with a superior 3.08 shot-creating actions per 90, in comparison to Keita’s 2.89 per game. The Dortmund star also boasted a greater haul of attacking returns than the 27-year-old last term, having plundered three goals and eight assists in 32 Bundesliga games. Keita matched that goal tally could only offer one assist from 23 Premier League outings.
Given Liverpool’s status as one of the most prolific teams in the English top flight, a move to Jurgen Klopp’s side could well be the catalyst to extract an even greater goal output from Bellingham.
Overall, a swap deal would make sense for both parties, with Dortmund getting a cash injection and a player with an impressive CV, whilst Liverpool could secure a long-term transfer target in the process.