Nou Camp midfielder pleased with Anfield interest.
Barcelona star Seydou Keita has told skysports.com that he is flattered by reported interest from Liverpool in him.
The 31-year-old has over three years left on his current deal at Camp Nou, having been handed a contract extension earlier this year.
But reports have claimed that Liverpool, along with Russian giants Anzhi Makhachkala, are keen to land the Mali international.
“Liverpool is a great club, it is fantastic to hear that they are interested in me, but you know how I feel about Barcelona,” he told skysports.com.
“However we are in football and nothing is an absolute, so let’s wait until the end of the season.
“I want to play more games than last season, playing regularly in a winning team is very good for the player, but the Premier League is very attractive and exicting for any player.
“My contract runs untill 2014, at the end of the season we will see.”
SOURCE: Sky Sports
It’s very rare for a player to specifically respond to transfer speculation, when a player does so one can only assume he does so to alert the relevant club to his interest in such a move. Seydou Keita appears more than happy to be linked with a move to Anfield and his statement seems to read like a ‘come and get me’ plea.
The versatile midfielder has spent the greater portion of the last few seasons warming the Nou Camp bench and either his words are designed to inform Pep Guardiola of his intention to leave if he doesn’t get more time on the bench or just a direct message to Liverpool to encourage them to make a move for his services.
Whilst it’s true that Liverpool are working with a policy to bring in youthful players and players to help the long term re-generation of the club it is also surely possible that a player of Keita’s quality would also be welcomed in at the Merseyside outfit.
Liverpool have a number of midfield options but arguably not many that are defensively minded or tough tacklers. Brazilian international Lucas is perhaps the only player in the club’s first team squad that is entirely used for this purpose and perhaps this is where Keita would come in?
Kenny Dalglish brought in the likes of Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson in the summer but both players are more geared to the forward momentum of attacks and not with the task of breaking down opposition advances.
The Barcelona man does this with aplomb and is also an adaptable tool to have in your armoury when you want to close out games, the rangy midfielder also has an eye for goal and by next summer if he is still seen as a back up at the Calatan giants then a move is a distinct possibility.