An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in signing Naby Keita from Liverpool in the January transfer window...

What's the talk?

According to MilanLive, the Magpies are among a number of teams eyeing up a potential swoop to snatch the midfielder away from Anfield.

The report claims that AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and fellow Premier League side West Ham United are also keen on signing him at the start of 2023, although no potential price has been mentioned.

Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg claimed back in August that the midfielder is "unhappy" with his contract situation at Liverpool and that a move could be on the cards for him.

Disaster for Newcastle

Dan Ashworth and PIF must avoid a deal for Keita as signing him would be a disaster for the club if they bring him to St. James' Park in January.

Reach journalist Josh Williams previously described him as a "terrible liability" and his injury history over the years backs that up as he has been far too unreliable for Jurgen Klopp in terms of his availability.

He has missed a whopping 80 competitive matches through illness or injury since the start of the 2018/19 campaign for Liverpool, including 18 games in the current campaign as he is currently out with a hamstring issue.

Keita, when he is fit, is a superb player who would be a good addition to Newcastle's midfield if he did not have so many injury problems.

He ranks in the 95th and 99th percentiles for tackles and blocks respectively per 90 among players in his position in Europe's top five leagues over the last 365 days, and this shows that he is an excellent defensive player in the middle of the park when he is not on the sidelines.

The Guinea international also ranks in the 87th and 86th percentiles for assisted xG and progressive passes per 90, which shows that he can make an impact in possession as well as out of it.

However, a player's most important attribute is their durability as you can only make a difference on the pitch by being available to play. Keita is no use to Newcastle as a footballer when he is consistently sat on the treatment table with several different injury issues.

Therefore, signing the £120k-per-week dud would be a disaster for Newcastle as his injury record suggests that he would not offer enough on the pitch, due to potentially not being fit enough to make the squad for a big chunk of matches per season, to warrant bringing him in on those wages.