Guinea international midfielder Naby Keita (above) will join Premier League giants Liverpool next year after the English outfit agreed a reported club record deal of $62 million with German side RB Leipzig. Liverpool will also reportedly pay an undisclosed premium for the 22-year-old, who scored eight goals in 31 league appearances last term to help Leipzig finish runners-up in the title race. Keita, who will be a pivotal figure in Leipzig's maiden Champions League campaign this term, said his present club remained his immediate priority but he was delighted to be joining such a historic club.
"I am delighted that an agreement has been reached which will allow me to join Liverpool Football Club next summer, when I will become part of a project that excites me greatly," Keita told the Liverpool website.
"My commitment to RBL remains absolute for the remainder of my time at the club. I have given my all every time I have worn the shirt -- that will be the case until the final whistle, in my final appearance.
"Having my future resolved means I can now focus on helping RBL achieve great things this season. Until I join my new club, next summer, I will remain an interested supporter from a distance." Liverpool's previous transfer record was the $45.3 million they paid Newcastle United to sign Andy Carroll in January 2011. An athletic box-to-box midfielder, Keita has been a longstanding target for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. He began his career with Horoya in his home city of Conakry and spent a season at French second-tier side Istres before joining Red Bull Salzburg in 2014. Salzburg sold him to RB Leipzig, their German sister club, in June last year.
