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Football is full of ‘what if?’, the alternate world which offers a glimpse into a different reality.

A world where Eidur Gudjohnsen’s shot nestles into the bottom corner, sending Chelsea to Istanbul; one where Steven Gerrard remains upright, fires one into the top corner past Mark Schwarzer, and lifts the Premier League title.

Transfers are prone to that sort of fantasy, too. Liverpool could be lining up with Alexis Sanchez and Diego Costa next season, if circumstances were different.

This week, another peek at another sliding door at Anfield. There stood Mahmoud Dahoud, smile wide and the shirt of his new club clutched, as a new summer signing.

It was Michael Zorc, sporting director of Borussia Dortmund, who flanked the midfielder. It could have been Jurgen Klopp.

It was the yellow shirt of BVB he held. It could have been the red of Liverpool.

Last summer, Dahoud was wanted by Klopp to enhance his squad; an impressive Bundesliga campaign with Borussia Monchengladbach identified the Syrian-born star as a player who could operate at the base of midfield.

Monchengladbach refused to sanction a deal for Dahoud, with Liverpool never really testing their resolve with a big-money bid.

Part of that was the knowledge of his contract situation. Dahoud’s deal would expire in 2018, but would have a clause triggered in the summer of 2017 allowing him to leave for around £10million.

The Reds were willing to wait, anticipating their interest would remain over the next 12 months, and did not seek an alternative for Klopp’s first full season in charge at Liverpool.

Things would soon change. Jordan Henderson would excel in the number six position, with Emre Can a capable deputy. That, coupled with the sense Dortmund led the chase, led to Dahoud falling off their radar.

So it proved. Dahoud signed for Dortmund this summer for what is believed to be a fee of £10.3million; a bargain, even after an underwhelming final year in northern Germany.

That worked out for Liverpool, to a degree. After an initial period of adaptation, Henderson flourished in that role; an injury-free season will see him become an even better option.

Once Henderson was injured in mid-February however, options were depleted. Can deserves credit for stepping in so well, patrolling the centre of the pitch, but Liverpool looked short in that department for the final months of the season, stuttering over the line of Champions League qualification.

A gamble that paid off, but one that could have backfired for Liverpool. It also sees a midfielder, one who could become something special, join one of their Champions League rivals for a relative pittance.

There can be no such gambling on Naby Keita.

Liverpool have already pursued the Guinean far more vigorously than Dahoud, seeing a bid of just under £60million rejected, with the club lining up another one in the coming days.

This despite RB Leipzig’s public insistence, through the medium of sporting director Ralf Rangnick, that he is not for sale at any price.

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There will be temptation to be patient and play the waiting game, much like they intended to with Dahoud. Keita’s contract also contains a release clause, which can be activated next year, of around £48million.

Unlike the German Under-21 star, there is little danger of Klopp losing interest in Keita over the coming months. He is desperate to bring the midfielder to Anfield, with Keita desperate to join; there is no alternative to the former Salzburg man, either in the transfer market or at the club, as things stand.

With his quality both defensively and offensively, possessing an unerring ability to take out a number of defenders with one forward pass, Keita would be the perfect solution to breaking down the defensive-minded sides which troubled Liverpool in the second half of last season.

His eight league goals and seven assists merely scrapes the surface of what he could offer Liverpool and why Klopp is so keen to land him.

But the temptation to gamble cannot be there.

Though Leipzig insist he is not for sale, there will be a figure agreeable to the German club. Even if that is for the £70million once believed to be required to prise him from his current club, the £22million extra for the season will be worth it.

After obtaining qualification to the Champions League, Keita represents the sort of player that achievement was meant to attract. Like Mohamed Salah, this would be proof of the importance of playing in Europe’s top competition.

Liverpool are benefiting from the current landscape across Europe. Bayern Munich will have been impressed with Keita but they have plenty of options in that position. In the Premier League, despite claims of Manchester City interest, none of Liverpool’s fellow top six need to strengthen the midfield.

A move to Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, is hard to envision.

That might change next summer, especially with Keita available at a cheaper price, and with no guarantee Liverpool will be in the Champions League this time next year.

Though urging the club to sign a player regardless of price is fiscal lunacy, there is a possibility it could be now or never for Keita’s move to Anfield.

Klopp wants Keita and the FSG will give him the money to fund his desires; it is for them to make Leipzig an offer they can’t refuse to ensure he is leaning at Melwood this summer, and not holding the shirt of another club, smiling, next year.