Liverpool Tipped to Consider Naby Keita-Style Delayed Move for Timo Werner

Liverpool's interest in RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner is well known, but with the Reds understood to be hesitating on pulling the trigger amid financial uncertainty, it has been suggested that they could pursue a delayed deal similar to the one which brought Naby Keïta to Anfield in 2018.


Jürgen Klopp's side struck a deal to sign Keïta from Leipzig in 2017, but they agreed to let the Guinea international remain in Germany for one more year before making the move.


Norwich City v Liverpool FC - Premier League

Before the coronavirus outbreak brought football to a halt, it was expected that Liverpool would not hesitate to trigger Werner's £52m release clause to bring him to Anfield, but the Reds are believed to have asked for more time to make a decision as they want to consider the financial impact of the current crisis.


The potential deal was the subject of The Athletic's Red Agenda podcast, in which James Pearce mentioned the idea of a delayed deal to try and save some money.


“Werner has attracted interest from a whole host of clubs, his representatives have had contact with Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United, but his heart is set on that move to Anfield,” Pearce said.


“I think the question is does it happen this summer, or does he decide to stay put for 12 months?
I wonder whether we might even see [a deal like the one for Keïta].


RB Leipzig v Tottenham Hotspur - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg

“There are decent relations between the two clubs, and with Keïta, Liverpool thrashed out a deal which meant they effectively waited for 12 months for him to arrive. I wonder whether that might even be something that is discussed over the coming weeks.”


Simon Hughes also weighed in on the subject, suggesting that Liverpool's hesitance could simply be an attempt to negotiate a discount for themselves.


“The message coming back to us from Liverpool at the moment is taking stock of how this is going to impact on the financial world they operate in,” he explained.


Liverpool FC v Atletico Madrid - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: Second Leg


“It will be quite interesting to see if this a bit of a tactic from Liverpool, because if it seems to Leipzig that Liverpool are less interested it might drive down the fee a little bit more.



"Nobody really knows yet how this is going to impact on player values and clearly Liverpool have tried to negotiate around asking prices with Leipzig before for Naby Keïta, so we will see.


“The detail about Klopp having some correspondence with him was pretty telling really, because he doesn’t go out of his way for players he doesn’t want.”



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Source : 90min