Liverpool Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Brendan Rodgers' Summer Plans

Lazio have reportedly named the fee required to pry away young striker Keita Balde Diao, with talkSPORT (h/t Metro's Lee-Thomas Mason) claiming the Biancocelesti are waiting for an offer north of £10 million.

The Spanish forward scored the winner in Lazio's Champions League play-off match against Bayer Leverkusen on August 18, and after the match, he refused to elaborate on the ongoing transfer saga, as reported by Sport Mediaset (h/t Football Italia). When asked directly whether he would leave the club, he said, “Let’s talk about matters on the pitch.”

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Keita made only six starts for Lazio last season and was used as the club's main attacking substitute, and it's unclear whether there will be a bigger role in store for the Barcelona youth product in 2015-16.

The 20-year-old made headlines when he crashed his Lamborghini last year, and Barcelona once sent him on loan to a lower-league side for playing a prank on one of his team-mates, per FourFourTwo's Greg Lea:

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During a tournament in Qatar, Keita played a prank on a team-mate by placing an ice cube in his bed. Barcelona’s youth coaches didn't see the funny side, though, sending the 15-year-old on loan to satellite side Cornella in the fourth tier as punishment.

Keita soon proved he was far too good for such a level, scoring an incredible 47 goals for the club’s youth team. Deemed to have served his sentence, he was recalled by Barcelona at the end of the season but shocked staff by rejecting a return in favour of a €300,000 switch to Lazio.

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The prank and decision to leave Barcelona led plenty of fans to believe he has some character concerns, and last year's car crash only reinforced that belief.

Those were isolated incidents, however, and given that he didn't make much of a scene over spending the year on the bench in Rome, those character concerns may be overblown.

What he does have is incredible potential, highlighted by his goal against Leverkusen. This fan shared a Vine of the goal:

In just a few seconds, Keita showed scouts what his game is all about. The winger is fast and agile, and he has incredible balance and the brute strength to hold off defenders. He's an excellent finisher, scoring five goals in 14 starts during his first season in Serie A before moving to the bench last season, per WhoScored.com.

In many ways, Keita will remind fans of Divock Origi, another fast and powerful forward who rose to fame during the 2013-14 season with Lille before flashing the potential to be a star at the 2014 World Cup. Keita's sample size is smaller, but he shows similar strengths and potential on film.

He's far from ready to contribute, like Origi was last year, but as a prospect, it's easy to see why teams would be interested. If given the time to develop either on loan or in the youth setup, Keita has the potential to be a fantastic winger in the future, providing he improves his decision-making and defensive contributions.

The fee of £10 million is steep for a prospect who likely won't contribute immediately, so it will be up to Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers to decide whether he's willing to invest such a sum in a young, up-and-coming player.

Perhaps there's another way to swing a deal, however. According to Gazzetta Dello Sport (h/t Daily Star's James Phillips), Lazio are interested in out-of-favour Liverpool forward Fabio Borini, who seems all but certain to leave during this summer.

The Italians have also been linked with a loan move for Mario Balotelli, per Gianluca Di Marzio translator David Amoyal, and perhaps Liverpool can use the duo to bring Keita's potential transfer fee down.

Il Tempo (h/t the Liverpool Echo's Tom Marshall-Bailey) previously suggested a straight swap, sending Balotelli and Borini to Rome in exchange for Keita, and with the Biancocelesti seemingly interested in the duo, perhaps those rumours can become a reality.

Such a swap would be a steep price to pay for a young, inexperienced player, with both Borini and Balotelli proving their value in the past, but with neither set to play any role of significance for the Reds in the upcoming season, value should be less of an issue.

Getting rid of them would be a victory in itself, and if Liverpool can use them to bring a prospect to Anfield in return, all the better.

Follow @ReverschPass.