RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita has heart set on Liverpool move, says Titi Camara

RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita has his heart set on a move to Liverpool and has told his current club of his desire to swap Leipzig for Merseyside, according to former Reds star Titi Camara.

Jurgen Klopp is eager to bolster his ranks and push through a deal for the Guinea international, currently valued at £70m by Leipzig, and the 22-year-old midfielder is keen to leave the Bundesliga outfit who are intent on keeping him at the club as they prepare to compete in the Champions League.

But Camara, who made 37 appearances for Liverpool after joining from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille in the late 1990s, took to Twitter to reveal that Keita is attempting to force through a move with Leipzig believed to be preparing for life after the much-vaunted midfielder.

"From what I'm led to believe Naby has his heart set on LFC move," Camara wrote on his official Twitter account. "Leipzig have been informed of his intent and are looking for replacement."

Camara, now a coach for the Guinea national team, went on to incorrectly reveal Keita's desired shirt number: "If the deal is successful Naby has requested the no 9 shirt. Known as a lucky number to father." He later clarified his error, which he put down to 'chubby fingers', and told his followers his compatriot has designs on wearing the number eight shirt at Anfield.

Liverpool could save themselves a substantial amount of money if they decided to play the waiting game with Keita, who would be available for £48m next summer due to a clause in his Leipzig contract, but Klopp has no interest in waiting another 12 months and is determined to land his top midfield target this summer.

Liverpool return to pre-season training on Wednesday (5 July), and Klopp recently touched on the need to add to his squad before the start of the new campaign.

The Reds have already signed Dominic Solanke and Mohamed Salah from Chelsea and Roma respectively and are still hoping to complete a deal for Southampton's Virgil van Dijk despite publicly and privately apologising to the Saints over their pursuit of the Holland international.

A deal for Van Dijk would likely cost £70m with Southampton intent on keeping their captain on the south coast, but the former Celtic star is eager to work with Klopp despite interest from Chelsea and Manchester City.