Liverpool’s hopes of landing Naby Keita have been dealt a blow by UEFA.
The RB Leipzig midfielder remains among the Reds’ most coveted transfer targets this summer as they aim to return to the Champions League’s group stage.
That involvement in Europe’s premier club competition was expected to act as a selling point for Keita as his own side faced uncertainty over their qualification.
Leipzig finished as runners-up to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga which would ordinarily have guaranteed a place in next season’s Champions League.
But the club faced a threat to that achievement due to their ownership by Red Bull, who also operate the current Austrian champions Salzburg FC.
UEFA’s rules about dual ownership clubs risked Leipzig missing out on the Champions League due to Salzburg finishing in a higher position of the two.
Keita was expected to potentially leave the German club in the event that they were denied a chance to compete at the highest level of European football.
However UEFA have granted both Leipzig and Salzburg entry to the competition.
A statement read: “The adjudicatory chamber of the UEFA Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) has decided to accept the admission of both FC Salzburg and RB Leipzig to the UEFA Champions League 2017/18, having found that Article 5 (Integrity of the competition) of the competition regulations is not breached.
“Following a thorough investigation, and further to several important governance and structural changes made by the clubs (regarding corporate matters, financing, personnel, sponsorship arrangements, etc.), the CFCB deemed that no individual or legal entity had anymore a decisive influence over more than one club participating in a UEFA club competition.
“This decision may be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport within 10 days.
“The CFCB will continue to monitor both clubs to ensure that integrity rules are respected going forward.”