Ibrahima Konate faces an uncertain future at Liverpoolplaceholder image
Ibrahima Konate faces an uncertain future at Liverpool | AFP via Getty Images
Ibrahima Konate recent form has been a huge cause for concern at Anfield
It was the latest in a series of challenging afternoons for the Frenchman, who is looking increasingly likely to leave Liverpool for Spanish side Real Madrid when his contract expires next summer.
The sheer fact that Real Madrid are interested in him outlines how good a player Konate can be. He’s played 148 games and counting for Liverpool for a reason and was central in last year’s title charge.
However, the 25-time France international is a long way off those standards at present and is struggling to rediscover his best form. He continues to start games due to the lack of cover the squad has following summer signing Geovanni Leoni’s season-ending injury and Arne Slot’s reluctance to play Joe Gomez, who was also linked with a move out of Anfield for most of the summer.
What does the future hold for Ibrahima Konate?
It has been claimed that Liverpool see Ibrahima Konate’s future as a ‘lost cause’ after prolonged and so far unsuccessful contract negotiations.
Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher does not think it will be a major issue if he is to depart. Speaking to 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?"
Who should Liverpool replace Ibrahima Konate?
Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi was close to joining Liverpool on deadline day for £35m. However, Palace pulled the plug on the deal at the final moment to keep the central defender despite him being in the last year of his contract.
Liverpool could still move for Guehi. Although, it’s likely to be a difficult one to negotiate amid competition from Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and others, along with the fact that Palace will probably push to keep him until the end of his deal. An alternative to Guehi that could have an instant impact on Liverpool’s defence could be Alessandro Bastoni from last year’s Champions League finalists Inter Milan. The Reds are already said to be preparing a mega-money offer for him.
Bastoni is at the peak of his powers, aged 26, and is a player with experience of success after winning two league titles with Inter, two Coppa Italia trophies and three Supercoppa Italiana. He’s also reached the Champions League final twice, played a small part in Italy’s European Championship triumph and has featured 40 times for Italy over the course of his career.
He’s a left-footed centre back which would perfectly compliment the right-footed Van Dijk and offer excellent balance to Liverpool’s defence after a shaky start to the campaign. Bastoni is perfectly suited to playing the ball out from the back.
Last season, he made 162 progressive passes compared to Guehi’s 134 and Konate’s 113. He also carries the ball much more better than his two counterparts with 62 progressive carries compared to Konate’s 25 and Guehi’s 22 while contributing six assists compared to Konate and Guehi’s two, via fbref.
All these qualities would make him an excellent target for Liverpool at this stage of the season. The major challenge could be agreeing a figure with Inter Milan, who are top of the Serie A table and in the middle of a title push. However, Liverpool have shown in the past that when they really want a target they are often more than willing to spend big to get them to Anfield.
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