Price, who is a reliable source of German football news, understands Keita has been playing up at Leipzig in a bid to get sold to Liverpool.
The club themselves are determined to resist any approach from Liverpool to move the midfielder earlier than scheduled.
The Reds have an agreement in place for the Guinea international to join them in July but they now want him in January following the Β£142million sale of Philippe Coutinho.
Leipzig play Schalke today at home and it could be Keita’s final chance to say goodbye to the fans.
Price told Express Sport: “Leipzig face Schalke in the clash of the weekend in the Bundesliga. Win and they potentially go second, lose and there will be a five-point gap.

vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
“But it will be important for more than just the league table.
“Leipzig don’t play at home for another two weeks after this one and it’s likely what happens here could be a big indicator of Keita’s mindset.
“We saw Coutinho wave to all corners of Anfield days before he was sold to Barcelona and Keita could do the same.
“While the last few weeks have been difficult, it’s a club he holds in high regard and he wants to go out in good grace. He doesn’t want to be remembered with any bad feelings.”
Boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has tried to dismiss the chances of a departure and said: “The situation hasn’t changed
“We have always said that there’s no reason to let Keita leave early and that’s the way it will be.
“Keita will play against Schalke this weekend and hopefully he’ll play well. That’s the only thing I’m interested in.”