Former Barcelona Midfielder Reveals ‘Advanced’ Talks With Liverpool

The January transfer window may have slammed shut but clubs will still be working hard behind the scenes at identifying targets for the summer, so we’ll bring you all the latest news, gossip and rumours. Today, a former Barcelona midfielder claims he held talks with Liverpool last month.

Former Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita claims he held ‘advanced’ talks with Liverpool before opting to return to Spain with Valencia last month, according to the Daily Mail.

The 34-year-old spent four years at the Nou Camp where he helped Barca to 15 major honours including 2 Champions League’s and 3 La Liga titles before joining Chinese side Dalian Aerbin in 2012.

Keita deciding on a return to Europe after 18 months in the Far East and he’s revealed that he held ‘very advanced’ talks with Liverpool last month before jumping at the chance to move back to Spain when Valencia came calling.

The Mali international midfielder has signed on at the Mestalla for an initial six-month deal with the option to extend by further year at the end of the season:

‘When my agent told me that Valencia called to sign me, I didn’t hesitate for even a second,’ said Keita.

‘I had very advanced talks with Liverpool, but I wanted to come here and I made that known to my agent.

‘When I came to play at the Mestalla with Sevilla or Barcelona I suffered a lot to win, because this is a really big club, with fantastic fans. That is why I opted to come here.’

‘I am coming here from China. To sign for a year-and-a-half is a difficult thing for the club,’ he explained.

‘I told them to relax, that I would sign for six months and if I have the right level we will all have time to continue. That is better for the club, and for everyone.’ Keita is quoted as saying by the Mail

Keita’s snub was another blow to Liverpool in what turned out to be a hugely frustrating January transfer window for boss Brendan Rodgers.

As well as losing out on Keita, the Northern Irishman missed out on a number of targets with the Merseysiders seeing attacker Mohamed Salah join Chelsea before failing to get the signing of Dnipro winger Yevhen Konoplyanka over the line on deadline day.

The Mail suggest that the Reds remain confident they’ll be able to sign the Ukrainian international in the summer after coming so close to securing his signature last month, but that’s no comfort during the second half of this season.

Liverpool have their best chance in several years to qualify for the Champions League, with the club currently sitting three points clear in fourth place, and Rodgers will rue their missed opportunities in the transfer market if a lack of squad depth ends up costing them over the next few months.

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