Michael Edwards appears to be getting Liverpool’s summer business underway early in 2021 as The Reds’ are in the final stages of agreeing a deal to sign RB Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konate, according to The Athletic.
The centre-back could be just the man to see Liverpool get back to the top of the Premier League standings in 2021/22.
Will Ibrahima Konate be a good signing?
Yes, he’s perfect.
No, he’s not the right fit.
In his time in the Bundesliga, the 21-year-old Frenchman has developed a reputation as one of the most promising young defenders in Europe.
Having broken through at FC Sochaux-Montbéliard, he moved to Leipzig when he was just 17 years of age and has gone on to amass 89 appearances for the club since – including eight in the UEFA Champions League.
Even before making his Leipzig bow, big things were expected of the defender, with former manager Ralf Rangnick suggesting that Konate was “so good” that he could one day represent either Real Madrid or Barcelona.
Whilst he has fallen down the pecking order slightly at the Red Bull Arena throughout the current campaign, with Julien Nagelsmann preferring a defensive pairing of Dayot Upamecano and Willi Orban, Konate’s statistics remain hugely impressive.
According to WhoScored, he is bettering the likes of Joe Gomez and Rhys Williams with his 0.4 tackles per game in all competitions. He is also outperforming Gomez and Joel Matip with his 0.7 interceptions per game in league play, a number that jumps up considerably when his European form is taken into account.
It seems then that as he continues to overcome his Liverpool opposite numbers, he could actually be the perfect partner for Virgil van Dijk at Anfield, with the Reds having struggled defensively this season having shipped 36 goals in just 29 games.
So, with Liverpool closing in on an early deal for his signature, they finally seem close to securing the centre-back that they need in the form of £31.5m-rated Konate.
AND in more news, take a look at which current Reds star they should shockingly consider selling…