Liverpool strike club record deal for Naby Keita

Liverpool have secured a club record deal for RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita who will move to Anfield in a year’s time.

Times reporter Paul Joyce says the deal will be a club record fee, with Keita agreeing to the move and undergoing a medical in Liverpool on Monday. The current club record is the £36.9m paid for Mohamed Salah this summer.

Keita was Jurgen Klopp’s prime target throughout the summer but he was frustrated in his efforts to secure the 22-year-old in this window.

However, Keita has an exit clause of £48 million in his contract which can be triggered in 2018. Leipzig were prepared to negotiate now to secure more cash. Liverpool were happy to move now to ensure they were not out-flanked in the future, with several others circling around the Guinea midfielder. Barcelona have been linked with the player by Catalan media in recent days.

The news comes as Liverpool reportedly close in on the signing of Monaco midfielder Thomas Lemar, who has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal.

Liverpool had failed with a series of offers for Keita, 22, reportedly up to the value of £66m.

The Guinea international is one of the best young players in the Bundesliga, scoring eight goals and claiming seven assists as Leipzig finished second to Bayern Munich last season.

Keita only joined Leipzig last summer in a move from sister club Red Bull Salzburg. He won two successive doubles in Austria and was named Salzburg's player of the season for 2015-16.