Naby Keita ‘to snub new Liverpool contract’ unless Reds meet demands after angry tweet

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Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita is hesitant to sign a new contract amid concerns over his role in Jurgen Klopp’s squad, according to reports. Keita is contracted until 2023 but won’t sign an extension unless he starts featuring more regularly for the Reds.

Liverpool signed Keita in a then-club-record £48million deal from RB Leipzig in 2017.

But his Anfield career hasn’t set sail, with unrelenting injuries tarnishing his time in England so far.

Keita has made just 34 Premier League starts across four seasons for Liverpool, struggling to breach Klopp’s first-choice midfield.

Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Thiago and Gini Wijnaldum have all been ahead of him in the pecking order, but the latter’s summer exit presented an opportunity.

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Teenager Harvey Elliott was also seemingly ahead in Klopp’s thinking, though, before suffering a nasty injury in the 3-0 win at Leeds United.

Elliott was a surprise starter in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Anfield, about which Keita’s agent wasn’t happy in the slightest.

After the game, in which Liverpool dropped two points against Thomas Tuchel’s 10 men, Malick Kebe aimed a frustrated tweet at Klopp, slating him for benching Keita.

It read: “It’s really hard for me to understand Klopp, you have to be him to put Naby Keita on the bench right now in his form. Your super coach is solely responsible for this draw against Chelsea.”

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According to BILD Sport, Keita will snub contract extension talks if Klopp doesn’t start using him as a more important player.

With Wijnaldum gone and Elliott set for a spell on the sidelines, this season could be make or break for Keita at Liverpool.

Keita has featured in four of Liverpool’s five Premier League games this season but has only started in two.

Although, he started Liverpool’s Champions League opener against AC Milan and the Carabao Cup third-round trip to Norwich City on Tuesday.

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If the Guinean midfielder can stay fit, he will get further opportunities to impress Klopp and prove why he should feature more regularly.

Liverpool may look to offload the 26-year-old if his contract stance hasn’t changed at the end of the season to remove the risk of losing another midfielder for free.

Given the excessive transfer fee paid to bring Keita to Merseyside, letting him depart as a free agent is a worst-case scenario.

It will definitely be something to keep tabs on in the months ahead, given the competition for places in Klopp’s first 11 is as ripe as ever.

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