RB Leipzig CEO didn't expect teams to trigger Keita's buyout clause

RB Leipzig's CEO admitted that a deal to sell Naby Keita to Liverpool wouldn't have come to fruition if it wasn't for the buyout clause in the Guinea international's contract.

A €55-million release clause was included in Keita's contract upon his arrival from Red Bull Salzburg in 2016. The 22-year-old then exceeded expectations and helped guide Leipzig to an unexpected second-place finish during the team's first-ever season in the Bundesliga.

CEO Oliver Mintzlaff said he didn't expect teams would be willing to meet the buyout clause, otherwise he likely would've included a higher fee.

"We would have never given Naby Keita away if it had not been for the release clause," Mintzlaff said, as translated by Stephen Uersfeld of ESPN FC. "When we agreed on (the clause), we did not presume that only after a few months there'd be a club willing to pay significantly more."

Liverpool was rumoured to be interested in Keita throughout the summer transfer period.

The Premier League side announced in August that a deal had been reached that would see Keita join the club next summer after triggering the clause, which comes into effect after the current season.