Liverpool’s £52m decision to ‘pull plug’ is good news for Newcastle United

Liverpool have ended contract talks with Naby Keita and will allow him to leave for free this summer, according to Football Insider. The club had held discussions with the midfielder over the possibility of extending his stay at Anfield.

Liverpool paid £52.75 million for Keita in 2018 and had extremely high expectations for the former RB Leipzig star, however he has failed to impress in four-and-a-half years on Merseyside and has struggled with injuries throughout. It is believed that Keita has been sidelined through injury, illness or Coronavirus for almost a year-and-a-half of his stint with the club and has played 26 per cent of the league minutes available to him.

Despite making only four appearances in the Premier League this season, the Reds were eager for Keita to put pen-to-paper on a new deal with his contract expiry looming. However, the report now claims that they will allow him to leave for nothing in the summer after contract talks collapsed, with reports claiming Jurgen Klopp’s side wanted the 27-year-old to take a pay cut due to his poor injury record.

Despite making some cameo appearances since returning from injury, Keita is still behind the likes of Thiago, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Harvey Elliott in the pecking order. Previous reports have claimed that the midfielder is unhappy at Anfield and wants to leave the club and it looks like he will finally get his wish at the end of the season. Borussia Dortmund were linked with a move for Keita last summer and could potentially move back in for him once his contract ends.

Keita’s impending departure will leave Klopp even lighter in midfield, with many fans demanding the club cough up the money to bolster that position. Thiago, Fabinho and Henderson are all arguably past their prime and have struggled to impress this season, however Liverpool have instead opted to sign Cody Gakpo during the January transfer window.

Newcastle United have previously been linked with Keita as they continue their push for Champions League qualification.