Liverpool target Naby Keita on rumours and Champions League

The Guinean midfielder played a key role as Leipzig finished second to Bayern Munich in their first season in the Bundesliga.

Keita scored eight times in 31 appearances, and now finds himself very much on the Reds’ radar this summer. Liverpool are keen to land the all-action 22-year-old, but know that they will have to break their club transfer record if they are to do so.

Looking back on his campaign, Keita said he paid no attention to transfer rumours or gossip, and that he was purely focused on enjoying his end-of-season holiday.

He told Bundesliga.com: “I really don’t worry about such things. My only focus is on our games and my performances; they are the most important things.

“I am a young player who never cares about rumours or what appears in the newspapers. I am now looking forward to a well-earned holiday and then to next season.”

Keita joined Leipzig from Red Bull Salzburg last summer, and has since emerged as one of German football’s rising stars.

“This is like a dream!” he reflected. “We enjoyed a really great season but it sits well with us. With each game we won, our confidence grew that much more.

“Our initial goal was to achieve top-flight safety as soon as possible. We succeeded brilliantly and by finishing second, we can of course feel more than satisfied.

“But we don’t want to sit back now. We will continue to progress and ride this wave of success for as long as possible.

“We are really keen to discover what the Champions League is all about. Every player dreams of playing in it and we will do everything in our power to make a difference in the tournament.

“The fact that we managed to qualify directly for the group stage of the Champions League is fantastic for our club. Our team is young, hungry and very ambitious.”

Source: Liverpool Echo

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