Naby Keita went 'past the limit' with tackle on RB Leipzig teammate as Liverpool weigh up third offer
The Guinea midfielder left RB Leipzig captain Diego Demme fearing he had suffered a serious injury
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Liverpool transfer target Naby Keita went “past the limit” when he tackled teammate and RB Leipzig captain Diego Demme earlier this week that left the German fearing he had suffered a serious injury.
Keita has come under intense transfer speculation this summer, with Liverpool having two offers rejected by Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, despite suggestions that the player wants to join Jürgen Klopp’s side.
Any frustrations from not being allowed to discuss a move to Anfield appeared to boil over on Monday when Keita steamed into a challenge on teammate Demme, with the tackle bad enough that manager Ralph Hassenhutl called an abrupt halt to the pre-season training session in Austria.
The pair exchanged words over the tackle, but soon made up after the club posted an Instagram video of them shaking hands in the physio room where Demme was being treated, having avoided a serious injury.
“That’s a training camp,” said the manager. “They all want to show how good they are feeling. Naby went to Diego straight away to apologise.”
However, the tackle has led to another of Keita’s teammates admitting that the Guinea international crossed the line with his challenge, though he did not criticise his colleague and admitted that a certain level of intensity in training is a good thing ahead of the new season.
“There was a good intensity in the training session, and I am fan of that,” he said. “But Naby went a bit past the limit in that situation.”
The Independent understands that Liverpool are considering a third offer for Keita worth a club-record £75m, having already seen £57m and £66m bids rejected by RB Leipzig, who have insisted that they do not want to sell the midfielder.
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