Report: Naby Keita could be involved in swap deal for Marcelo Brozovic

Naby Keita could be on his way to the Serie A with a swap deal with Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic being reported.

The Guinea international came to Liverpool with plenty of big wraps on him after a impressive spell with RB Leipzig.

He was meant to be the box to box midfielder that Liverpool had craved for since the retirement of Steven Gerrard.

Not only did Keita have a true sense of energy to his game, he also had a bit of a physical edge, something that would have aided the Reds midfield.

However as any fan would tell you, what was advertised on the box is not what has been delivered to the club.

There is no doubt that Keita has had his good moments in red but in general his time has been littered with inconsistent performances and absences with untimely injury and illness.

It has long been speculated that Keita will leave the club when his contract is up in the summer.

But a report from Italy (per CalcioMercatoWeb/Teamtalk) recently claimed that the club do not want to lose Keita for absolutely nothing and will have been scouring the market looking for any takers and they may well have struck gold on that front.

Brozovic is a seasoned international making 82 appearances for Croatia and was a ever present in the recently completed World Cup.

The 30 year-old has been a stalwart with Inter Milan making close to 250 appearances since signing from Dinamo Zagreb in 2015.

The report goes on to say that any potential deal will reportedly see the ‘cash-strapped’ Inter pay £15 million for Keita while Brozovic is valued in the range of £30 million.

There are two ways of looking at a report like this, bringing in a 30 year old to a midfield that is looking to transition to one that is much younger and athletic makes little sense.

On the other hand, getting some value for a player that for all intents and purposes will not be at the club in five months time is pretty good business.

Brozovic is viewed as someone who is incredibly versatile and who dictates the tempo in the heart of midfield, while also being a great reader of the play and making key interceptions when required.

It is the ‘silly season’ at this point on the calendar and you are going to hear of all sort of different scenarios that are floated.

So mark this down as unlikely at this stage especially with the words of Jurgen Klopp fresh in the minds when it comes to no more incomings this month.

Still, it is some food for thought.