Liverpool reportedly ended their bid to sign Naby Keita in January after RB Leipzig demanded £17.8m for his early exit.
The two clubs already have a deal in place for Keita to make the switch to Anfield in the summer, but Liverpool were interested in bringing in the midfielder in January after Philippe Coutinho left for Barcelona.
Over the weekend, Leipzig announced that Keita would be staying in Germany for the remainder of the season and according to Bild, no agreement was made due to the German side's asking price.
While Liverpool have funds available from Coutinho's £140m departure, the Merseyside giants were not prepared to spend an extra €20m to bring forward the transfer by six months.
Leipzig are currently competing for a top-four place in Germany's top flight, and Keita's goal in the 3-1 win over Schalke 04 at the weekend helped the club move into second position.
Darren Plant
