Out of favour Liverpool midfielder could be headed for La Liga move

Liverpool kept alive their hopes of a top four finish with a 4-2 win over rivals Manchester United in a thrilling encounter at Old Trafford on Thursday evening. 

After Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring for the home side, a Diogo Jota goal and Roberto Firmino brace had the visitors in a commanding 3-1 lead before the hour mark.

United threatened to complete the comeback when Marcus Rashford scored in the second half, but Mo Salah extended Liverpool’s lead in the 90th minute to put the result beyond doubt and keep the Reds within touching distance of Chelsea in fourth.

The desperate situation that Liverpool are in with just three games remaining is a far cry from last season, when Jurgen Klopp’s side strolled to a first ever Premier League title win.

It appears that The German could be planning to shake up his squad for next season, in an attempt to challenge Manchester City once again for the title, and they could have a struggle to keep hold of one of their midfielders.

According to Fichajes, Reds midfielder Naby Keita is a prime target for Atletico Madrid.

The report suggests that the La Liga side’s manager, Diego Simeone, is a keen admirer of the Guinean midfielder, who is a ‘great wish’ of the Argentine.

Simone is on the verge of securing a second La Liga title with Atletico.

Since moving to Liverpool from German side RB Leipzig in 2018, Keita has been plagued by injuries and struggled to maintain his form.

This season, he has made just 16 appearances in all competitions and his future at Anfield is therefore the subject of speculation.

Such is Simeone’s admiration of the player, that he will apparently be his ‘first move’ when the transfer window reopens at the end of the season.

The 26-year-old could be viewed as a replacement for Lucas Torreira, who is due to return to Arsenal at the end of the season as his loan spell comes to an end.

With Gini Wijnaldum also expected to depart when his current contract expires in June, Klopp could be in the market for a midfielder when the window opens next month.