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Arne Slot and Unai Emery | Getty Images
Liverpool have the chance to bolster their ranks between now and the end of the January transfer window
Liverpool are sat in 4th place in the Premier League table after 21 fixtures. They are inside the top four along with Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa and they have 35 points on the board. Brentford are two points behind them in 5th position.
The Reds won 4-1 at home to Barnsley last time out in the third round of the FA Cup. They are back in league action this weekend against Burnley at Anfield. Their upcoming opponents are inside the drop zone along with Wolves and West Ham.
Liverpool urged to complete Aston Villa swap deal
Liverpool have been urged to try and do a swap deal with Aston Villa including Ibrahima Konate and Ezri Konsa by former player Stan Collymore. Konate is out of contract at the end of the season and is yet to pen a new deal. He is due to become a free agent in late June as things stand.
Collymore has said, as per the Liverpool Echo: “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.
“For me, Konate thinks he’s the best defender since sliced bread but hasn’t played like it recently. I’m sure he’s thinking he’ll be going to the likes of PSG or Real Madrid, but could there be a swap deal where Konsa goes to Liverpool and Konate goes to Aston Villa? That would be something that would work for both parties.”
Would Ezri Konsa suit Liverpool?
Liverpool need to start thinking about potential long-term replacements for Konate. Virgil van Dijk also isn’t getting any younger so they must begin planning for life without the pair. Konsa has had an impressive campaign for both Aston Villa and England and he would fit the bill.
Konsa’s deal at Villa Park runs out in June 2028 meaning they are under no pressure to sell him just yet and they can afford to wait for the right offer to come in for his signature. He has been with his current club since joining them back in 2019 and he has become one of their most prized assets. Prior to his move, he had spells in London with both Charlton Athletic and Brentford.
The Newham-born man has made 265 appearances for Aston Villa in all competitions to date, 27 of which have come this term, and he has scored 10 goals from the back. Unai Emery will want to keep hold of him for as long as possible. External attention is inevitable though with the way things are going.
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