Liverpool are ready to offer Ibrahima Konate a five-year contract, ahead of a potential move to Anfield this summer.
According to an update from Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool are yet to strike a deal with Ibrahima Konate. It appears they are still working on an agreement with Leipzig, who are not willing to consider any lower fee than the €40 million release clause marked in his current contract with the club.
The Reds, though, are moving ahead in the pursuit by offering Konate a personal five-year deal, with the Frenchman reportedly leading the club’s shortlist for defensive targets in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Konate, in fact, has been linked with a move to Anfield for quite some now, especially after Dayot Upamecano’s completed move to Bayern Munich. The defender, though, is not buoyed by the transfer speculation and is focusing on his current objective at Leipzig, although Die Roten Bullen‘s Bundesliga hopes suffered a big blow following the club’s recent goalless draw with Hoffenheim.
For Liverpool, Konate may seem like a rather easy target as the player has a relatively cheaper release clause and could be lured to the Premier League with a lucrative contract offer.
However, things could get complicated and perhaps even hinge on how the Merseyside finish their campaign, knowing a potential failure to qualify for next season’s Champions League could force Konate to reconsider his next move, especially with Leipzig giving him the opportunity to not only compete in the coveted competition but also challenge Bayern for the Bundesliga title.
In addition, the departure of Upamecano should pave the way for the Frenchman to become an indispensable figure in the Leipzig backline while at Anfield, he will have to compete with the likes of Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Ozan Kabak, whose loan deal from Schalke is likely to be made permanent this summer.
What will Ibrahima Konate bring to the table for Liverpool? | THT Opinions
Nevertheless, Konate is a competent defender who is more than capable of emerging as a defensive lynchpin for the Reds. One of the main concerns, however, will be the injury-prone nature that has kept him out for the most part of his Leipzig career so far.
It will also be interesting to see whether the Bundesliga giants make any efforts to keep hold of the services of Konate, potentially offering him a pay raise after a relatively successful campaign, during which he has been a central feature of the best defensive unit in Germany.
