Liverpool are reportedly set to complete a €35 million deal for 21-year-old defender Ibrahima Konate, who has agreed personal terms with the Reds.
According to reputed Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have inched closer to securing the services of Ibrahima Konate in the summer transfer window. The 21-year-old French defender has agreed personal terms with the Premier League heavyweights, who are set to sign him from RB Leipzig in a deal worth €35 million.
Ibrahima Konaté to Liverpool, here we go soon! The deal is set to be completed, personal terms agreed on a five-years contract.
Liverpool will pay the release clause to RB Leipzig in the next days [around €35m] in order to finalize the signing of Konaté. ? #LFC https://t.co/N4OWqqXiGu
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 23, 2021
Konate has long been regarded as one of the most promising young defenders in the Bundesliga, his injury record notwithstanding. In fact, it is a testament to his potential that he is still quite highly rated despite missing a major chunk of the last couple of seasons due to several fitness-related issues.
The same has been the case this season, with Konate managing just a little over 1000 minutes of action so far, starting only 11 of the 42 games that Leipzig have played this term. His poor track record on the fitness front, though, has never deterred potential suitors and Liverpool have been hot on his trails for quite some time now.
Liverpool’s interest in Konate is not new, but the Reds seem to have been taking a serious look at the 21-year-old in the past month or so. In fact, it took little time for the rumour mill to suggest that they had even reached a verbal agreement with the Frenchman, as they looked to bolster their defence heading into the summer transfer window.
With Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip being sidelined for much of the ongoing campaign, Liverpool’s soft underbelly has been exposed brutally this term. Such has been their predicament that Jurgen Klopp has had to deploy Fabinho as a makeshift centre-back, although the advent of Nathaniel Phillips coupled with the signing of Ozan Kabak has helped matters.
What will Ibrahima Konate bring to the table for Liverpool? | THT Opinions
Kabak, though, is not certain to remain at Liverpool beyond the end of the season, with his loan deal set to expire this summer. With Ben Davies, the other January arrival at Anfield, yet to even feature for the Reds, it was not hard to see why they wanted to launch the offensive for Konate, with Fabrizio Romano himself claiming that a five-year deal was in the works.
As it now turns out, Liverpool are on the verge of signing the 21-year-old French defender, who has reached an agreement with the Merseyside giants over the said five-year deal. Liverpool will pay his €35 million release clause to RB Leipzig in the coming days, which, in turn, will finalise the signing.
It now looks like all that remains to be done for Konate to officially complete his switch to Liverpool is the announcement, which ought to be imminent. The young centre-back, therefore, looks set for the €35 million move to Anfield.
