Manchester United have reportedly opened talks with the agent of RB Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konate over the possibility of a summer transfer.
According to an exclusive report from French outlet Le10Sport, Manchester United have entered into negotiations with the representatives of RB Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konate over a summer move, despite the youngster having struggled with injuries this season.
Konate came through the youth ranks at FC Sochaux, before making the jump to Leipzig in the summer of 2017. The 20-year-old immediately became a key member of the German outfit despite his young age. The Frenchman was ever-present for Leipzig during the 2018-19 campaign, helping them to the best defensive record in the Bundesliga.
The 2019-20 season though, has been an injury-riddled one for the youngster. Having featured just eight times in all competitions, Konate suffered a serious injury which has prohibited him from taking the field since October last year. In spite of this, Manchester United have shown an interest in securing his services in the summer window.
The Red Devils have enjoyed a resurgence of sorts since the turn of the year, with performances in attack and defence improving vastly. The partnership of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof has flourished at the heart of the Manchester United backline, while Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe are fit again and providing competition for places.
But question marks remain over the long-term future of Marcos Rojo, who was loaned out last January. The same goes for Phil Jones as well, who has hardly featured this season. As such, there is a need of adding more quality and depth to the centre-back department for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. This would make Konate a viable target for Manchester United.
To that end, the 20-time English champions have already made contact with the representatives of the France U-21 international, in order to explore the possibility of a switch in the upcoming transfer window.
Konate, despite having not featured frequently this season, showed enough quality during the 2018-19 campaign. Moreover, given that he has been sidelined for majority of the campaign would mean he is likely to command a much lesser transfer fee than teammate Dayot Upamecano, who has also been linked with Manchester United.
The 20-year-old still has three years left on his contract and it would be extremely hard to convince Leipzig to part ways with him, especially if Upamecano ends up leaving this summer. It now remains to be seen if Manchester United make a formal approach for Konate.
