At last

Liverpool's protracted summer long pursuit of Naby Keita has ended in The Reds securing his services in a deal in excess of £48million. The RB Leipzig midfield is undergoing a medical at Liverpool FC, in a deal that will see the Guinea midfield join next summer.

Keita has a £48million release clause which comes into effect next summer. However it is reported that Liverpool paid in excess of that figure to secure his services in advance.

Cunning

It's a shrewd move by Liverpool. Although many will see Keita as a replacement for (seemingly) Barcelona-bound Philippe Coutinho, I do not think this is the case. Emre Can is going into the final year of his contract at Anfield and Liverpool can be more comfortable about the prospect of losing the ever-improving German for free next season should they have a ready made replacement lined up. Should Can sign a new deal, Liverpool will have an abundance of riches in midfield with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Adam Lallana and James Milner keeping them both company.

Further re-enforcements

That's not to say Coutinho may not end up at Barcelona before the transfer window closes on Thursday. If it happens, Liverpool will be even more keen to secure the services of Thomas Lemar from Monaco as a replacement. The Frenchman has been the subject of two bids by the Anfield team recently. With an initial bid of £55million being rejected over the weekend, it is said that Liverpool have offered £64million in an attempt to secure Lemar's services.

Strength

After a slow start on the transfer front, things are hotting up for The Reds. Having qualified for the Champions League proper, secured the signing of Keita and playing scintillating football without their supposed talisman Coutinho, Liverpool find themselves in a position of strength to negotiate from, as the transfer window closes.

Gunner Gulf

If Liverpool do sign Lemar for a figure in excess of £60million it will be a hammer blow to Arsenal and their manager Arsene Wenger. The Gunners have been linked to Lemar over the summer and are said to have lodged a £30million bid. Having been thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool over the weekend, losing out on Lemar to the Redmen, will further go to show the gulf between the clubs.

The football transfer market has seen an inflation in price over the last 12 months that even the cryptocurrency market has struggled to keep a pace with. However it seems that Arsenal are still stuck in the slow lane trying to eke out every last penny of value in a market when there is none. And the players they need are passing them by.

Price Bubble?

Liverpool, on the other hand, have bitten the bullet and paid a premium for Keita now and are overbidding for Lemar. With PSG paying £200 million for Neymar this summer and £160 million to secure the services of 18 year-old prospect Kylian Mbappe for next summer transfer prices keep ballooning. Liverpool have seen the price inflation first hand, with Barcelona bids for Coutinho now said to be approaching £148 million. Not bad when you consider Liverpool plucked him out of the Inter Milan reserves four years ago for £8.5 million.

Who knows what the prices will be next summer? £100 million may end up being the going rate for a world class player.

Either way has been an extraordinary summer transfer window. Is the football player's market in a bubble? You have to wonder just how high these prices can go before a number of clubs fall foul to the Financial Fair Play regulations. Until then, I'd advise your favourite team to take Liverpool's lead and get your transfer targets now, as who knows what you'll have to pay for top talent in the future.