Liverpool confirm club-record £48m Naby Keita will join next summer

Liverpool have confirmed the agreement of a club-record deal to sign RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita next summer.


Sky Sports News understands the Reds will pay the £48m release clause that will allow Keita to join the club, as well as an undisclosed premium.

Keita completed a medical on Monday and will officially join Liverpool on July 1 next year. The fee will also surpass the £39.5m paid to Roma for Mohamed Salah this summer.


The Guinea international said: "I am delighted that an agreement has been reached and I will become part of a project that excites me greatly.
"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 had put their pursuit of the 22-year-old on hold in July, having had two bids rejected by the Bundesliga club.


A senior official at Leipzig told Sky Sports News that Keita would "100 per cent not be sold in this window", but a change in their stance has enabled Liverpool to strike a deal for 2018.

Leipzig had been attempting to convince the Guinea international, who has appeared three times so far this season, to sign a new contract.
Keita scored eight goals in 31 appearances last season as Leipzig finished as the runners-up in the Bundesliga.

Manager Jurgen Klopp has so far added Salah, Dominic Solanke and Andy Robertson to his squad this summer.