Tottenham Hotspur have an interest in Naby Keita amid his current contract issues.
This has been suggested by insider Graeme Bailey, who has been discussing the Guinean midfielder’s future on the latest episode of the Talking Transfers podcast.
Keita has now been at Liverpool for four years after making the move from RB Leipzig in 2018 for a huge fee in the region of £54m.
But he is now set to leave Anfield at the end of the season, with his contract set to expire unless the Reds are to offer him a new deal.
And Bailey believes there are already a number of Premier League clubs who are showing an interest in potentially snapping him up as a free agent in the summer, with Spurs said to be one of them.
He said: “Over the summer, we saw murmurings of no new deal, his people weren’t happy. And that’s led to a lot of clubs looking at the situation saying a 27-year-old Keita on a free… Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham amongst those, we understand.”
TIF Thoughts on Bailey’s comments…
This certainly is an interesting prospect, with Keita – who Graeme Souness feels ‘isn’t good enough’ for Liverpool – not really setting the world alight since his big-money move from the German Bundesliga four years ago.
Therefore, it would arguably be a shock if Tottenham were to acquire his services, not to mention from a direct league rival.
The most appearances Keita has made in a Premier League campaign is 25. And for a player who cost the money he did, this does feel fairly underwhelming.
Spurs added to their midfield options over the summer with Yves Bissouma and have seen promising starts to the campaign from both Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur.
So Antonio Conte certainly has the numbers in midfield, but with Pape Matar Sarr potentially set to be loaned out, Keita – hailed “world-class” by Virgil van Dijk – would certainly feel an upgrade on the Senegalese youngster if he is indeed offloaded next season.