RB Leipzig have issued a statement crushing speculation that they will let Naby Keita move to Liverpool this month, despite the Reds being keen on such an arrangement.

Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Keita from the Bundesliga club in the summer, but it has been claimed the Reds want to bring the transfer forward to this month's window.




It has also been reported that RB Leipzig could play ball if Liverpool offered to pay an extra fee to do the deal early.

But the Bundesliga side have issued a statement ending any talk of an early move and vowing that the midfielder will stay at the club until the summer.
 


The club said in a statement: "Naby Keita remains a player of RB Leipzig until 30.06.2018!

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"We are ending the speculation of a premature switch in the winter for Keita to Liverpool FC."

And sporting director Ralf Ragnick also had his say on the talk, admitting that Liverpool have been keen to sign Keita this month, but will not pay what would be needed to do so.

"We will not let Naby Keita leave early, even though Liverpool have again expressed their interest in signing him up in this transfer window.

"As everyone knows, we are not a selling club", Ragnick stressed.

"That would only have been possible if we had reached a mutually agreed solution in the sense of an exorbitant additional transfer payment.

"This is not the case, so we have decided to end this subject.

"Naby and his agent have also accepted this decision."

Liverpool received an influx of cash this month by selling Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona, but it appears the Reds are not willing to make the level of extra payment which would make RB Leipzig change their stance on an early Keita exit.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp will now have to wait until the summer to get his hands on the Guinea international midfielder.