I Rejected Barcelona and Bayern – Naby Keita
Jul 22, 2018 at 6:14 PM
Liverpool’s new signing Naby Keita has revealed that he rejected Barcelona and Bayern Munich to ink up with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
Naby Keita turned down the Spanish club and the German club.
Keita completed his move from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig to Liverpool in the off-season. The deal was struck worth £48 million ($64m). The 23-year-old Guinea star is set to form a formidable midfield alongside the likes of fellow new signing Fabinho , and captain Jordan Henderson.
And Keita revealed he turned down La Liga champions Barca and Bundesliga holders Bayern to join Liverpool.
“It’s true to say that there were other teams involved like the ones you mentioned. But a big part of my decision was the role of the coach. We had good conversations. The words he spoke to me about this project really convinced me. I could see how the club was developing and I spoke at length with Sadio [Mane].
Keita earned a reputation of drawing red cards while in the Bundesliga. And, he physical nature of the Premier League means he’ll be in for some hard tackles with the Reds.
But the midfielder doesn’t believe the move to a roughers league will hamper him in any way.
“I don’t think the physical aspect is going to have a negative impact on me at all. I have watched a lot of English football and through the process of the friendly games leading up to the new season, I’ll adjust to it. Also, I like winning the ball back. It’s something I love. I am someone who has this real winning mentality. I have a huge desire to win. That is why I am aggressive in a positive sense on the field.”
Fabinho and Keita played their first match with Liverpool as they started pre-season with a routine 7-0 win over Chester last Saturday.