Naby Keita is looking to revive his ailing career after completing a surprise loan deal with Hungarian champions Ferencvaros.
The 29-year-old is on a one-year loan from Werder Bremen, where he has made just five appearances since joining in the summer last year. Ferencvaros will have an option to buy him after the year.
Keita has been left out of the Bundesliga squad since being accused of refusing to board the team bus for a match against Bayer Leverkusen in April.
The former Premier League and Champions League winner, who was forced to train with the Under-23s, has not even made the bench for the Bundesliga mid-table side this season.
On their website, Ferencvaros called his arrival a 'fantastic addition!' and called him an 'excellent midfielder'.
Keita left Anfield in the summer of 2023 after five years in the Premier League, seeking regular football after injuries limited him to 49 league starts.
But his downfall in Bremen was spectacular. He was named as the Bundesliga's biggest flop and played just five games in the German top flight. In April, he was suspended for the season and fined after being accused of failing to show up on the team bus for an away game.
Coach Ole Herner recently said: “I believe it is best for both parties to just look ahead and into the future, to see what good solutions Naby can find for himself and what solutions we can find without him.”
Now it appears that the two parties will part ways in January. BILD report that Keita will be sent on loan – unusually for 12 months as the transfer takes place in January – which will see him in Bremen within six months of the end of his contract.
Keita could even face old rivals Manchester United in the Europa League this season if Ferencvaros is drawn against them later down the line.
In October, Keita told The Guardian: 'In my last year at Liverpool I didn't play much and when I got here I was motivated.
“We will have to talk about the bus incident at some point, but anyone who knows me knows that I am a professional and that I am not undisciplined. Despite everything, I apologized to the group even before the end of last season, because we are all human and no one is perfect.
'Wherever I have been, from Salzburg to Leipzig and Liverpool, I have always tried to be exemplary.'
Keita was accused of refusing to board the team bus and instead returning home when he found out he was not in the starting line-up for a match against Bayer Leverkusen.
Keita was immediately suspended and forced to train with the U23s for his actions, as Bremen sporting director Clemens Fritz insisted the club would not tolerate his behavior.
“We will not tolerate Naby's behavior,” Fritz said in a statement at the time.
The player has since apologized to his teammates on WhatsApp.
Jurgen Klopp paid £52 million to sign Keita from RB Leipzig after building a reputation as one of the best midfielders in the German top flight.
However, despite winning a host of trophies at Liverpool, his time on Merseyside was blighted by multiple injuries and he was limited to just eight Premier League appearances in his final season at the club.
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