After the conclusion of European leagues, football clubs have started working on the recruitment for next season. After failing to defend the Premier League title, Liverpool FC is not wasting time to improve the squad for next season. The Merseyside club is looking to sign RB Leipzig and France center-back Ibrahima Konate.
According to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool has agreed personal terms and transfer fee with Konate. The English club has offered a contract until 2026. Liverpool will be activating his release clause 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 shone for RB Leipzig in limited game time in the last few seasons. His consistent performances had reportedly sparked interest from Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United. Jurgen Klopp has managed to beat Liverpool’s rivals to complete this transfer.
The French defender has made 21 appearances across all competitions for Leipzig this season. He averaged 0.4 tackles and 1.6 clearances per game while scoring one goal for the German team. Considering his previous injury issues, it is a big gamble for Liverpool to sign him. Meanwhile, it is good business for Leipzig as he signed the Frenchman for free in 2017 from FC Socheaux. Reports have suggested that there were doubts regarding the deal after Leipzig refused an installment-based payment plan, but both the clubs negotiated and resolved this problem. (Stats courtesy:Whoscored)
Dayot Upamecano and Leipzig’s manager Julian Nagelsmann will also leave the club in the summer as they were signed by Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. Leipzig has secured a replacement for both players and Red Bull Salzburg coach Jesse Marsch will be coaching the first team from next season.
Meanwhile, Liverpool will get much-needed depth in the defense for next season. They suffered this season due to injuries to Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez. Konate will provide adequate cover for them and can eventually replace them in the lineup after a couple of seasons.Konate is currently playing the U-21 Euros in Hungary and Slovenia and will play a quarter-final fixture against Netherlands U-21 on May 31.