According to a new report from leading German sports outlet Sportphoto, Werder Bremen FC are actively looking to get rid of Naby Keita from their squad during the winter transfer window. The former Liverpool midfielder's career has hit a low point recently, not only because his performances on the pitch have fallen far short of expectations, but also because his personal decision to move to Werder Bremen has caused the club a lot of trouble.
Naby Keita joined Werder Bremen as a free agent in the summer of 2023 after being a huge addition to Liverpool's history, valued at a staggering €60 million. However, his performances at Liverpool did not cash in on his price tag, and in his brief appearance at Werder Bremen, he only managed to get 107 minutes of playing time, far from matching his €2.4 million annual salary.
Werder Bremen FC had planned to send Keita on loan to Turkey's Hatay Sports in the summer transfer window to ease the team's salary burden and seek transfer income. The two sides had already negotiated all the details, including a loan fee of 1.5 million euros and the continuation of part of Keita's salary paid by Werder Bremen. However, just as the transfer was about to be finalized, Keita suddenly changed his mind and refused to travel to Turkey, citing his personal discomfort with the move. This sudden change of heart caught Werder Bremen by surprise, and also expressed great dissatisfaction with Keita's behavior.
Currently, Keita has not returned to Werder Bremen's squad, and has been rehabbing off the pitch or training alone, while being ineligible to play for the team and enter the locker room. Werder Bremen hope to make Keita "transparent" in the team in this way, so as to force him to leave in the winter transfer window.
Notably, Sporting Pictures also revealed that a Chinese club has expressed strong interest in Naby Keita and is in negotiations behind the scenes. For Chinese soccer, bringing in an experienced and powerful foreigner like Naby Keita is undoubtedly a good opportunity to improve the strength of the team. However, for Keita himself, whether he can find his form and prove himself again in the new environment will be a great challenge.
