Liverpool has a number of players coming to the end of their contracts this summer with Naby Keita set for an Anfield exit and now an update has emerged on a potential replacement.
Liverpool could rekindle their interest in RB Leipzig midfielder Amadou Haidara this summer, according to The Independent’s chief football writer Miguel Delaney.
According to the report, Liverpool and Manchester United have previously expressed interest in the player and may be tempted to revisit the situation at the end of the season because Haidara’s contract includes a release clause.
According to the report, the German club is unwilling to sell the player in the winter after a bid from Brighton was rejected.
Dream Keita improvement
There is no doubt that Jurgen Klopp and the Anfield powerbrokers will work hard to identify the right targets to recruit in their midfield rebuild, which is expected to take place in the summer, with Jude Bellingham already touted as the club’s top priority.
While the wonderkid from Borussia Dortmund would be fantastic for Liverpool, the club will need to add a few more midfielders to their squad, with Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and James Milner all set to leave for free this summer.
As a result, the signing of Haidara could be exactly what Klopp is looking for in a Keita successor as the player was brought into Leipzig to do the exact same thing for the Bundesliga club when the 27-year-old made the move to Merseyside back in 2018.
Haidara was hailed “exceptional” by former Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick, who commented on his potential to fill Keita’s boots at the club:
“We’ve been following his progress in Salzburg as he’s developed into an absolutely exceptional player there. There aren’t many players his age with so much potential. He has all the requirements to follow in Naby Keita’s footsteps.”
The 24-year-old sensation – who has a release clause worth £33m – ranks in the top 25% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for non-penalty goals, assists, progressive passes, interceptions, and tackles, displaying his potency in progressive play.
In fact, he could be the dream Keita upgrade as Haidara has outperformed his positional peer in a number of midfield attributes this season so far with a better pass completion rate (83.04% v 75.2%), more ball recoveries (42 v 18), duels won (17 v 6), clearances (7 v 1) and interceptions (5 v 1), according to Squawka.
The Mali international has also expressed admiration for Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard and even compared himself to him:
“He was an exemplary player who had it all and battled on the field.
“I’m a combative player who works hard in defense and I try to do my best going forward. I also have a good chance.”
With that said, if Liverpool rekindles their interest in Haidara, they will undoubtedly be in a strong position to compete for his signature in the summer, as he clearly possesses midfield traits that Klopp admires and already has a vested interest in the Merseyside giants due to his admiration for Gerrard.
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