Jurgen Klopp was all smiles as he put his Liverpool players through their paces at their Bavarian lakeside training camp at Rottach-Egern but the tranquil scene was a world away from the storm across the Alps continuing over Reds target Naby Keita .

The midfielder – who has seen his club RB Leipzig knock back two big money bids of £57million and £66million from Anfield for his services this summer – caused controversy on Monday when his heavy challenge on team-mate Diego Demme left the German side's captain requiring treatment and prompted coach Ralph Hassenhutl to bring the session to an abrupt halt.

Following the unsavoury incident, Leipzig's sporting director Ralf Rangnick, who has insisted all summer that Keita will not be sold, has claimed that the player's head has been turned.

Rangnick told a coaching convention: “There should be someone who points them into the right direction.

“The boys themselves are not the problem here. It is their surroundings.

“A whole village in Guinea or somebody from their entourage tells the players why they must do something right away. I can’t blame the players.”

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His rant seemed somewhat bizarre given that Keita, 22, hails from his nation's capital city of Conakry, an urban hub of over 1.6million people, but Rangnick was born in the sleepy Baden-Württemberg town of Backnang, with a population of 36,266 which isn't enough to fill Anfield.

(Image: ROBERT MICHAEL/AFP/Getty Images)

Guinean football journalist Amadou Makadji, who is close to Keita, has criticised the remarks.

He said: “Shocked by the irresponsible words of Rangnick. If Guinea is a big village, what good is it to retain a villager in his team?

“Rangnick should apologise to Naby and Guinea, a country whose history is rich. If necessary, give him a history class.”

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