Man City 3-0 Liverpool: Match Review
Liverpool transfer news as Ibrahima Konate continues to be linked with a summer transfer to Real Madrid.
Liverpool consider the future of Ibrahima Konate to be a ‘lost cause’ it has been claimed.
The defender sees his current Anfield contract expire at the end of the season. Konate has been a regular starter of the past few seasons and played a key role when the Premier League title was won last campaign.
But during the Reds’ disappointing defence of the English championship, Konate has been well below par for the majority. His performance in the 3-0 loss against Manchester City came under scrutiny.
Konate’s underwhelming form has been constantly surrounded by his future. The centre-back has been linked with joining Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer.
Konate transfer latest
And according to Spanish media outlet AS Diario, Liverpool do not expect Konate to pen fresh terms on Merseyside. It is claimed that the France international’s potential switch to Real is ‘moving in a positive direction’. Bayern Munich have also been linked with Konate but they are hoping tie down his international team-mate Dayot Upamecano to fresh terms.
Liverpool did sign Giovanni Leoni from Parma for £26 million in the most recent transfer window to replace Jarell Quansah, who left for Bayer Leverkusen. However, Leoni was signed as a long-term project and suffered a cruel ACL injury on his Reds debut. The Italian will not play again this campaign. Meanwhile, Joe Gomez has not made a single league start this term despite Konate’s issues.
Carragher’s verdict on Konate future
While Konate has been first-choice centre-half along with captain Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher does not think it will be a major issue if he is to depart. Via the Daily Mail, Carragher said: "I’d like him [Konate] to stay but if he doesn’t stay, Liverpool will sign someone else. Liverpool won’t fall apart if Konate leaves.
"He's not Virgil van Dijk. He's a good centre-back who you hope will sign, but if he doesn’t want to sign, Liverpool will be absolutely fine. He's a very good centre-back, he's a title winner at Liverpool, he's played in the Champions League final against Real Madrid. He's obviously a quality centre-back.
"It's not poor management [if he goes for free]. You can't physically make somebody sign a contract. Then it's your decision, do you keep him to the length of his contract or do you sell him?"
Continue Reading