Liverpool’s search for a new centre-back could take them back to RB Leipzig this summer, with Ibrahima Konate apparently available.
Having already signed Naby Keita from the Bundesliga outfit back in 2018, it is reported that the French defender is now of interest to The Reds, according to Sunday World.
Even more positively, AS report that the 21-year-old could be available for as little as £22m, which for a player who is rated at £31.5m at the current time, represents stunning value. Liverpool should waste no time and need to move now to secure the defender.
Who is Liverpool’s best centre-back right now?
Ozan Kabak
Ben Davies
Nathaniel Phillips
Rhys Williams
Konate has slowly but surely forged an excellent reputation in Germany as Leipzig continue to challenge Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga.
Since arriving from FC Sochaux-Montbéliard four years ago when he was just 17, the centre-back has gone on to make 89 appearances for the club, including eight in the UEFA Champions League – an extremely respectable count for a player so young.
Whilst he hasn’t played as often as usual in the past couple of seasons, with Leipzig boss Julien Nagelsmann preferring a starting pair of Dayot Upamecano and Willi Orban, his potential and promise are undoubted.
After all, with his tender years, the 11-time France U21 international is extremely likely to improve.
When compared to Liverpool’s current centre-back options, Konate is bettering both Rhys Williams and Joe Gomez with his 0.4 tackles per game, whilst he is also overcoming Gomez and Joel Matip in terms of interceptions, according to WhoScored.
Considering that he would likely be the partner for Virgil van Dijk, to be outperforming the England man on those counts is intriguing.
For a player so experienced then, with a reported price tag so low, it seems like it would make perfect sense for Michael Edwards to swoop for Konate and bring the Reds’ long search for a centre-back to a close. It’ll be a masterclass of a move if he does so.
AND in more news, take a closer look at another reported centre-back target who Liverpool could sign in the summer…