体坛英语新闻：Leipzig rule out early Keita transfer

BERLIN, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Leipzig's central midfielder Naby Keita will not join Liverpool in the winter transfer period, the Bundesliga club announced in an official statement on Sunday.

The "Bulls" have put an end to speculations about Keita's Liverpool move ahead of schedule as sporting director Ralf Rangnick dismissed a transfer in January.

According to the club's statement Keita "will stay, as planned, until June 2018 with Leipzig before he joins the Premier League outfit in July 2018."

"We will not allow Naby Keita an early move even though Liverpool underlined their interest to sign him during the current transfer window," Rangnick told the club's official homepage.

"We are not a sales club. A transfer would only have been possible if we had reached an amicable solution in the sense of an exorbitant additional transfer fee. This is not the case so we have decided to end this topic. Naby and his agent also accepted this decision."

The 22-year-old midfielder joined Leipzig from Austrian side Salzburg in the summer 2016. Keita made his breakthrough as a key player and provided eleven goals in 45 appearances since his arrival.

Leipzig sit currently on the 2nd place of the Bundesliga standings. They encounter Freiburg at the 19th round on January 20.