Leipzig demand apology from Liverpool target Naby Keita after horror tackle causes training to be abandoned

Leipzig head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl decided to abandon the rest of the training session after Keita jumped into a tackle with midfield partner Diego Demme

Liverpool target Naby Keita was ordered to apologise to a team-mate by his manager, after his dangerous tackle caused a Leipzig training session to be abandoned.

Keita, who is Liverpool’s primary transfer target this summer, jumped into a tackle with team-mate Diego Demme, his central midfield partner at the Bundesliga club.

Demme fell to the turf ‘screaming’, according to a report in the German newspaper Bild, before hobbling off with a bandage on his knee.

So bad was the challenge that Leipzig’s head coach, Ralph Hasenhüttl, then decided to end the Monday morning training session prematurely and ordered Keita to apologise to his team-mate – which he is believed to have done.

Keita was taking part in his first Leipzig training sessions since Liverpool saw a second bid of £66m rejected by the Bundesliga side.

Liverpool are now understood to be resigned to not signing the player this summer, and rekindling their interest at the end of the 2017/18 season, when his release clause drops to £48m.

Despite Liverpool’s interest this summer and two club-record offers, Leipzig have repeatedly insisted that Keita will not be sold.

And Leipzig owner Dietrich Mateschitz said to Bild last week that it was not a matter of finance.

“We don’t sell any of our players just to get money. Lately we got a €75m offer for Naby Keita. No way!

“He has a contract and he will fulfil it. To sell him would not only be a proof of distrust to our fans but also the wrong sign for our players like Timo Werner, who is in demand too.”