Pundit Alan Hutton has backed Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita to leave the Merseyside club in the summer and make a return to the Bundesliga.
As things stand, the midfielder’s contract at Anfield is set to expire at the end of the season, meaning he could leave Liverpool as a free agent if the club decides to not offer him a new deal.
Last month, it was reported by BILD that Borussia Dortmund and Keita’s previous club, RB Leipzig, are interested in signing the 28-year-old this summer.
This has since led to one pundit sharing his thoughts on the possibility of seeing the midfielder bring an end to his time at Liverpool and make a potential return to the Bundesliga.
Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton had this to say when asked if he thinks a move back to Germany would be a good next step for Keita.
He said: “For him personally yes. If he is going to go and play week in, week out it is a good standard of football.
“The teams play in the Champions League so I think it would be a good move. If Liverpool are going to go and spend big money on midfield the opportunity of playing there is going to be slim.
“Coming to the end of the contract, moving somewhere else, maybe means that they will meet his wage demands. Financially it could be good for him so it is definitely something he will look at in the summer.”
Having spent a then club-record fee of £48m to sign the Guinea international from Leipzig back in 2017 before he eventually arrived at Anfield a year later, Liverpool have since seen Keita make 129 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing seven assists along the way.
Has Naby Keita been a successful signing for Liverpool?
Yes
No
While the £120k-per-week midfielder’s time at Liverpool has been hampered by numerous injury issues, the former Leipzig star has still lifted a Premier League and Champions League trophy during his time at the club.
Taking into account how he’s only started five of the 13 games he’s appeared in this season across all competitions, it doesn’t seem likely that the Reds are going to offer Keita a new deal.
Therefore, should he end up leaving this summer, making a return to the Bundesliga, where he has scored 14 goals and supplied 13 assists in 58 appearances, would be a suitable next move for him, in our view.