Liverpool Reportedly Have £66M Naby Keita Bid Turned Down by RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig have reportedly rejected an offer of £66 million from Liverpool for their midfielder Naby Keita. 

According to Chris Bascombe of the Daily Telegraph, the Bundesliga side do not want to sell their prized asset in the current window. 

"Leipzig's stance has never changed, and the refusal to accept such an offer further demonstrates Jurgen Klopp's difficulty securing his prime summer target," the report continued.

As noted by Bascombe, Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz told Bild Leipzig received a new offer for the Guinean, although the club has no desire to cash in at this point.

"We don't sell any of our players just to get money," said Mateschitz. "Lately we got a €75 million offer for Keita. No way! He has a contract, and he will accomplish it. To sell him would not only be a proof of distrust to our fans but also the wrong sign for our players like Timo Werner, who is in demand too."

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The noises coming out of Leipzig throughout the summer have sent a consistent message—he will not be moved on in this window.

Here's a look at why Liverpool are said to be willing to pay almost double their club-record transfer fee to land Keita:

Links throughout the summer between the Anfield club and the Guinean have triggered excitement among the Reds fanbase. However, as noted by football journalist Ste Hoare, Leipzig have made their stance abundantly clear as of late:

While £66 million is an extraordinary amount of money to reject for a player who has only been on their books for one season, Keita is so important to the Leipzig cause already.

After joining the newly-promoted German club in 2016 from Red Bull Salzburg, the midfielder was the driving force behind Leipzig's stunning surge to the upper reaches of the Bundesliga. The team, bristling with vibrant young talent, finished as runners up to Bayern Munich in 2016-17.

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Keita played in central midfield for much of the campaign and was exceptional. He boasts limitless energy reserves, is so proficient at protecting possession and also has the class needed to make big contributions in the final third of the field.

Leipzig evidently consider him to be indispensable at this point, although football journalist Keith Costigan doesn't see much benefit in keeping hold of him for another term:

While the player may be tempted by the prospect of a move to the Premier League and the chance to work under a coach like Klopp, it's obvious the Bundesliga side have big ambitions of their own. The likes of Keita, Werner and Emil Forsberg have the potential be cornerstones in their progression, which will continue in the upcoming Champions League campaign.

So unless they’re willing to part ways with a stratospheric sum of money, Klopp and the Liverpool recruitment team may have to begin looking elsewhere if they want to bolster their midfield.