Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore has backed the Reds to sign Aston Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa in place of Ibrahima Konate.
Time is now running out for Konate to sign a new deal, with no sign of an extension in sight ahead of his contract expiring at the end of this season.
Speaking to BetWright [via Caught Offside], Collymore talked up the idea of Konsa coming in as the Frenchman’s replacement, along with Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi:
“Liverpool must identify a replacement for Ibrahima Konate if he leaves, especially because I don’t think Virgil van Dijk will be far behind him. I know there’s been talk of Marc Guehi, but I’m looking at someone like Ezri Konsa, who’s probably going to start for England at the World Cup alongside John Stones.
“If I was head of recruitment at Liverpool, I think Konsa and Guehi would both be deals that provide good value for money. Aston Villa have PSR issues that they need to address, so if they were to get a big fee for Konsa, they might have to consider it. A lot depends on Konate – if he plays like he was last season, then he should be able to attract an elite Champions League club.
Is Konsa good enough to replace Konate at Liverpool?
Konsa is an impressive Premier League player who has also become an important part of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad, being hailed as “excellent” by Troy Deeney.
It is easy to see him being a strong addition for Liverpool, but he is now 28 years of age, meaning he likely wouldn’t have much sell-on vale, and his peak may also not last for too much longer.
For that reason, Guehi stands out as the better choice, not least because he is three years Konsa’s junior and could be a mainstay of the Reds’ defence for close to a decade.
Hopefully, though, Konate signs a new deal and Liverpool also bring in at least one new central defender, giving them far more depth than they currently have.