Journalist Pete O'Rourke has claimed that Newcastle United signing Naby Keita would be a 'big gamble'.

The Lowdown: Newcastle interested in Keita

It was reported in October that the Tyneside club are eyeing a potential deal for the Guinea midfielder, who is set to be out of contract at Liverpool in the summer.

AC Milan, West Ham United and Borussia Dortmund are also thought to be interested in his signature, so there could be a four-way tussle to sign him for a cut-price fee in the January transfer window, or else land him as a free agent next summer.

The Latest: 'Big gamble'

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O'Rourke has claimed that it would be a 'big gamble' for Newcastle to sign Keita because of his poor injury record.

The journalist said: “You’ve got to look at it as a big gamble. Obviously, Liverpool paid big money to sign Naby Keita a few years ago and Liverpool fans will argue that they’ve never seen the best of him because of his injuries.

“I think any club that’s maybe looking to sign Naby Keita has got to be looking at his injury record as a potential red flag.”

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The Verdict: Avoid

Once dubbed ‘world-class‘ by Liverpool team-mate Virgil van Dijk, Keita has had some good times at Anfield, helping them to win both the Premier League and Champions League in his spell on Merseyside.

However, his career has been plagued by injuries, and on £120,000 per week, the Magpies would be at risk of wasting a lot of money on a player who may hardly get on the pitch for them.

Newcastle have also been linked with the likes of Leicester City midfielders James Maddison and Youri Tielemans in January, so there is no shortage of options in the market for Eddie Howe's team, and they should be focusing on securing more reliable targets than Keita.