Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita is reportedly giving serious consideration to the idea of a summer return to RB Leipzig.
The 27-year-old will leave Jurgen Klopp's team as a free agent at the end of the season as things stand, having entered the final six months of his contract at Anfield.
Keita is currently free to open pre-contract talks with foreign clubs, and his lack of first-team starts makes a summer departure from Liverpool seem likely.
Klopp's team forked out €60m (£53.5m) to sign the Guinea international in 2018 following his successful exploits with Leipzig, but he has not been able to replicate his Bundesliga form in the Premier League.
Injuries have not helped Keita, who has missed a total of 86 games for Liverpool due to various fitness and illness problems, but he has tended to remain down the pecking order when fully fit.
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According to 90Min, a host of clubs are queuing up to present offers to Keita, but the Guinea international is currently leaning towards a return to Leipzig.
The report claims that Die Roten Bullen are currently leading the race to sign their former player, who is still hugely popular in Germany and would be welcomed back with open arms.
Keita could return to the Red Bull Arena as a replacement for Konrad Laimer, who was previously linked with Liverpool but is now expected to move to Bayern Munich this summer.
Just before entering the final year of his contract last summer, Keita supposedly told Liverpool that he was weighing up his future options, and talks over a new deal have not progressed.
Klopp still sees the 27-year-old as a valuable member of the squad when fully fit, though, and the Reds boss has supposedly told the club's hierarchy to keep the door open regarding a new contract.
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However, Keita was miffed at not starting last season's Champions League final against Real Madrid amid a positive period of form, and he has been inspired by Timo Werner's exploits since the ex-Chelsea man made his own return to Leipzig.
Die Roten Bullen will face stiff competition for Keita's signature though, as the report adds that Tottenham Hotspur, Monaco, Inter Milan, Lyon and AC Milan could also try to strike a deal on a free transfer.
Galatasaray were rumoured to have been in talks over a move as well, but a separate update from journalist Florian Plettenberg claims that the Liverpool man will not be joining the Turkish club.
Keita posted 17 goals and 15 assists in 71 games for Leipzig between 2016 and 2018 before joining Liverpool, where he has recorded a more underwhelming tally of 11 goals and seven assists in 127 outings across all competitions.
The former Red Bull Salzburg man is without a goal or assist in 11 matches this season, but he has started each of Liverpool's last four matches in all competitions.
Keita could now make Klopp's first XI for the fifth game in a row when Liverpool return to Premier League action against Everton in Monday's Merseyside derby.
Ben Knapton
