Liverpool beat Barcelona to the signature of Red Bull Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita because the Reds put in more effort than the La Liga giants, the club’s CEO has confirmed.
Jurgen Klopp was desperate to sign the Guinea international last summer but Leipzig refused to sell.
However, the Reds eventually struck a £55m deal to sign Keita in 2018 and supporters have been salivating over the midfielder’s recent performances in the Bundesliga.
Keita will become Liverpool’s record signing but Red Bull chief Oliver Mintzlaff has revealed the Reds saw off interest from Barcelona for his signature.
‘That’s right, even more so because Barcelona were also interested in Naby Keita,’ revealed Mintzlaff.
‘This was confirmed to us by Barcelona, but obviously they didn’t try as hard as Liverpool.
Mintzlaff then revealed that Keita was keen on making the move last summer but Leipzig were wary of a mass exodus if they allowed him to leave.
‘Keita wanted the transfer this summer,’ he added. ‘But (sporting director) Ralf Rangnick had told the team that we will not sell any players (at that time).
‘This was not lip service – it was set in stone. Had we released Keita, other players might have come up with a similar idea.
‘It (the Liverpool deal) gave the player more security, but also left us with a significantly higher transfer fee.’
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