Liverpool have been plagued with defensive woes all throughout this season so it’s no surprise that Jurgen Klopp is eager to bring in Ibrahima Konate as soon as possible.
The defender has two more years left on his current deal with RB Leipzig but Liverpool have been scouting him for months now and despite some heavy interest from other clubs it was always the Premier League side who were expected to get their hands on the French U21 international.
Last month, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano had finally given a Here We Go to this deal claiming that Ibrahima Konate is about to sign a five-year deal with the club.
Romano had written on Twitter: “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.”
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
Now, according to the latest reports, Leipzig have given up hope of making Ibrahima Konate sign a new deal at the club and are ready to part ways with the central defender – for the right transfer fee.
Sky Sports claims: “RB Leipzig expect Ibrahima Konate to join Liverpool this summer and are waiting for official confirmation that they will pay his €35m (£30.2m) release clause.”
This is great news for all the Liverpool fans since Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate can form a formidable pairing at the heart of defence next season. But this is not so exciting for players like Joel Matip and Joe Gomez.
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With Konate arriving at the club, both Matip and Gomez are likely to fall down the pecking order, more so since they have been out injured for most of this season.
Also, Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams have been pretty solid in central defence during the previous few matches for Liverpool but with the Leipzig man arriving soon, these two players could be put up for sale during the summer
All in all, we are going to see a major reshuffle in Liverpool’s defensive areas next season and if the 22-year-old can adjust to life in the Premier League then he is going to be the long-term partner to Virgil Van Dijk.
