Liverpool target Naby Keita’s current club Red Bull Leipzig are unlikely to be allowed to compete in next season’s Champions League, Sky Sports report.
Despite their 2nd-place finish in the Bundesliga 2016/17, the Germans will have to play in the Europa League instead – due to rules regarding club ownership.
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As well as Leipzig, Red Bull owns Salzburg, who won the Austrian league, but UEFA prohibit clubs with strong links to one another from playing in their competitions in the same season.
UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis will make a final decision next month, but the rules are quite clear and Red Bull Salzburg will get the nod because they finished higher in their respective league.
The fact they might not be playing in Europe’s premier competition will improve our chances of signing Keita, Jurgen Klopp’s primary central midfield target.
We’ve not submitted a bid for the 22-year-old, having been warned off by Leipzig, but this latest news may encourage us to do so once we’ve announced Mo Salah.