Liverpool's £52m flop suffers further embarrassment as he is brutally axed
Former Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita has been snubbed by his current club. The Guinea international, 29, made 129 appearances for Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool - registering 11 goals and seven assists - but he never fulfilled his potential as the weight of the famous number eight jersey weighed heavy on the centre-midfielder.
It must be said that Keita had a torrid time with fitness issues while on Merseyside - with several muscle injuries keeping him on the sidelines. Now, after departing the Reds in 2023, his career prospects have not improved, making just five appearances for new club Werder Bremen.
Recently, the Bundesliga side's head of football Clemens Fritz, gave an update on the 29-year-old's situation, when speaking to German TV station, he explained: "We have to find a solution with his agency. There are still some markets like the United Arab Emirates that are open. A new transfer window starts again in October or we might find a solution during the winter break.
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"For us it is clear, we will not terminate the contract now. There is no way back.”
Fritz continued: “Naby is a pretty good guy. When we signed him, we knew that it could be a certain opportunity but also a risk.
“We tried to get him to the best possible level but if someone refuses to get on the Werder bus for an away game, especially at a time when we had many injured and suspended players..."
It is widely reported that Keita refused to attend the German's trip to Bayer Leverkusen in April - causing him to be fined and suspended for the remainder of the 2023/24 season.
As a result, he has now been removed from the club's website. Reports from German outlet Sport Bild suggested the former RB Leizig man could be offered to a Chinese Club with 'conversations' taking place about a possible switch.
In the meantime, Keita is said to be training away from the rest of the Bremen squad. Sport Bild also explained how Turkish side Hatayspor tried to negotiate a deal for an initial loan with an option to buy for around £1m but no such deal materialised.