Liverpool will have to break their club record to bring Keïta to Anfield

Liverpool are ready to test the resolve of RB Leipzig by making a club-record bid for Naby Keïta. During discussions, the German club have said that the Guinea midfielder will not be sold this summer, but Liverpool will seek to establish whether that position is final.

They would not be put off by suggestions that Keïta is being valued at £70 million, although the club’s present transfer record is the £36.9 million that was spent on Mohamed Salah, the Roma forward, last week. Jürgen Klopp, the manager, is back at Anfield next week, and only when a firm offer has been submitted can Liverpool gauge if Leipzig’s stance is genuine.

Keïta, 22, has a £48 million release clause that can be triggered in the summer