Liverpool may receive discount on Keita fee

When Liverpool agreed a deal for Naby Keita last summer, they negotiated a deal that included a clause that would alter the midfielder's fee dependant on how well RB Leipzig did in the 2017/18 season.

At the time of signing the deal, Liverpool would most likely have expected to pay the maximum fee possible. Leipzig finished the 16/17 season in 2nd place, securing themselves Champions League football, and beaten only by giants Bayern Munich in terms of points.

If they repeat this top four finish this season, the German side will net £59m for the Guinean midfielder, who will join Liverpool at the end of the season. However, Leipzig are having a disappointing season this time around, and currently sit sixth in the Bundesliga table. If their position in the table doesn't change, they will only qualify for the Europa League, meaning that Keita's fee will drop to £52.75m.

Furthermore, Leipzig are not even guaranteed of a top six finish. They sit on 47 points at the moment, and only one point behind are Eintracht Frankfurt. With three games remaining, any slip up could see them drop to 7th, and this would reduce Keita's fee to £48m. 

Although they will be rooting for Keita to finish the season in good form, Liverpool will now become Frankfurt fans for the end of the season, as they look to save themselves up to £11m.