Liverpool's chances of bringing Naby Keita to Anfield in January are slim, it is understood.
The Guinean international has been under fire from the press in Germany and his own boss after RB Leipzig slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Besiktas in the Champions League, report the Liverpool Echo.
That leaves Leipzig bottom of their group with a double-header against Champions League stalwarts FC Porto on the horizon after the international break - leading to speculation the Reds could get their man six months earlier than anticipated.
Liverpool's summer long pursuit of the highly-rated midfielder was spurned by Leipzig until a compromise was struck with the Reds securing his services from July 1, 2018.
That deal saw Liverpool agree to pay a premium on top of the player's £48million release clause which comes into effect next summer.
However it does not include any clause relating to Leipzig's Champions League progress which would allow it to be accelerated in the event of an early exit for last year's Bundesliga runners-up.
There is nothing to stop the Reds attempting to negotiate a fresh deal with Leipzig in January - just as they could for any other player - but the chances of success are considered somewhat remote.
Even if Leipzig are staring at a Champions League exit - and there's no guarantee of that - Anfield insiders believe Leipzig will want to keep Keita as they seek to consolidate their rapid rise with a second successive Champions League qualification.
There's no doubt however that things have been far from straightforward for the 22 year old this season.
After the 2-0 defeat in Turkey - during which, incredibly, Leipzig striker Timo Werner reportedly asked to be substituted because the racket made by Besiktas' notoriously vociferous fans was too loud for him - Keita himself has been getting stick from the German press, who branded him "overrated" and a "primadonna".
Keita was sent off for a Sadio Mane-esque high foot in a Bundesliga match earlier this month.
And Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhüttl said after the defeat to Besiktas: “Naby was not good today, maybe it would have been better not to have taken him.
"For me, as a coach, it is important to see who I can rely on at such moments, which players stand up and who is ready to fight against what is going on on the field."
The question will almost certainly be asked by Liverpool - with a further increase in fee potentially on the table for an early release - but Leipzig may have done all their compromising for now.