Ibrahima Konate has been linked with a move away from Liverpool in recent months.placeholder image
Ibrahima Konate has been linked with a move away from Liverpool in recent months. | Getty Images
Liverpool have spent the last year trying to persuade Ibrahima Konate to sign a new contract but should they target a Barcelona contract rebel?
The obvious one, is the defence. It is a shadow of what it was last season when it was the difference in tight games on more than one occasion. The injury list at right-back alone is a lengthy one with the Reds boss seemingly intent on persevering with Milos Kerkez. Andy Robertson deserves a new contract and has shown that, for all that he might not be the player he once was, he is still more reliable than his younger counterpart.
Who Liverpool should sign instead of Konate
To make things worse, the will he, won’t he Ibrahima Konate contract saga continues to rumble on but if the last few weeks have shown anything, it is that Liverpool shouldn’t be breaking the bank to retain the services of a player who would be dropped if there were any other options to replace him. The France international has looked uncertain and hesitant all season and a once solid partnership with Virgil van Dijk looks anything but now.
The easy option is to extend Konate’s contract knowing that Giovanni Leoni will be back next season and has the potential to challenge for a starting role. The problem though, is that Joe Gomez is the only other senior centre-back, and his injury struggles make him far from dependable. It would be a surprise if Marc Guehi isn’t a Liverpool player next season, however, in January, Richard Hughes should target an experienced operator who has been linked with the Anfield outfit before.
Linked in the summer, Andreas Christensen has won trophies in England, Spain and played in Germany’s Bundesliga. He also has 80 Denmark caps to his name. As a victim of Barcelona’s previous financial mismanagement, the 29-year old’s big-money contract is expiring at the end of the season and he could replace Konate’s ability in the air whilst also improving the balance of distribution from the back. Potentially, Christensen could be a long-term successor to Van Dijk given the similarities in their game.
Fabrizio Romano on Konate contract talks
Fabrizio Romano continues to be the man in the know on the Konate saga with the Italian journalist giving an update on his Here We Go podcast on the contract stand-off: “Look for Konate what we can say is that Liverpool and Konate agents remain in direct contact. So there is a conversation ongoing.
“Liverpool made their proposal to Konate. So there is a proposal on the table to extend the contract to basically sign a new deal with Liverpool. There is a negotiation ongoing. Now it is on Konate to decide whether he wants to continue at the club or if he wants to try a new chapter and move probably out of England and try something different.
“We know about the interest of Real Madrid, for sure. Real Madrid remain interested in Konate but Liverpool presented their proposal on the table. So now it’s the player who has to decided what they want to do” Konate is a good player, but he isn’t that good a player, and with so many alternative options available, and available on free transfers, patience should be running low at Anfield.
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