RB Leipzig have ruled out allowing Naby Keita to join Liverpool early.
A deal worth in excess of £50 million was struck between the Reds and their Bundesliga counterparts to see the midfielder move to England next summer.
But Leipzig’s possible Champions League group stage exit had led to suggestions that Keita’s Anfield switch could instead happen as early as January.
Leipzig’s sporting director Ralf Rangnick, however, has ruled out any possibility of the Guinea international leaving before July 1, 2018.
“Even if we should not reach the knockout stages of Champions League, it would make no sense to allow Naby to join Liverpool earlier,” he told Leipziger Volkszeitung.
“We want to qualify for Europe again, and we need Naby for that.”
Keita’s final season at the Red Bull Arena has been overshadowed by a poor disciplinary record which saw him sent off in three games in just 39 days.
Off the pitch, the 22-year-old is also reportedly appealing against a fine for submitting a fake driving license.