Naby Keita’s Liverpool future: Reds’ stance, Newcastle boost, ‘certain circumstances’ claim

Naby Keita’s future remains in the air as his Liverpool contract ticks down. The midfielder has been at Anfield for almost five years, racking up 80 league appearances and winning a Premier League, Champions League and a number of other trophies along the way.

The Guinea international has split opinion among fans during his time at the club, but he may yet have a future in a Reds shirt. With that in mind, we have rounded up everything you need to know about Keita’s future as the situation continues to develop.

Current contract

Keita has only signed one contract at Liverpool, penning a five-year deal upon arriving in 2018. The midfielder reportedly earns £120,000-per-week, penning a £31.2million deal spread over five years.

That current contract expires at the end of this season - at the end of June, to be specific. Keita arrived at Liverpool on a deal worth around £53million from RB Leipzig back in 2018. Being out of contract, he is already able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with any club outside England. That right was triggered on January 1.

Latest contract update

The latest update on Keita’s future has come from Sky Sports Germany, who say ‘nothing has been decided’ on the midfielder’s future. It’s added that ‘more talks are scheduled’ between Liverpool and Keita to establish where both parties stand. It’s stated that a new contract under ‘certain circumstances’ has not been ruled out. That’s an interesting statement, and one that likely means a wage reduction for Keita if he does want to stay.

However, as mentioned, he is already able to test the market to see what he can get elsewhere, and his agent is likely speaking to other clubs to gauge where the market will be, both to have an exit plan and to be able to go to Liverpool with solid demands based on what others are willing to pay his client.

Transfer links

There has been some talk that Keita could be used as part of a deal to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, which could make sense given he has Bundesliga appearance. However, Liverpool would need to give Keita a new contract for that deal to work.

It’s looking increasingly likely Keita will not leave during the January window, and much hangs on whether a new contract is signed. It’s unlikely Liverpool will offer Keita a new deal just to sell him, and so rumours of interested clubs have been few and far between. Expect rumours to really pick up as soon as there is a major update on the contract situation. Newcastle have also been linked.