Chelsea have reportedly emerged as surprise contenders to sign Liverpool star Ibrahima Konate
If the secret to Arne Slot's success in year one was a continuation of what worked so well for Jurgen Klopp, then it’s fair to say that a revolution at Anfield looks to be the strategy for this year’s title push.
The Reds summer spending is already around £300m after the big-name arrivals of Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez - and it shows no signs of slowing down with a second approach for Alexander Isak seemingly being in the pipeline after an initial £110m offer was turned down by Newcastle United.
However, if there’s one criticism that can be thrown at Liverpool after pre-season, and a penalty shoot-out defeat to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield - it’s perhaps the fact they at times left themselves open at the back on the counter-attack and possibly may need to sign a long-term partner for Virgil van Dijk amid uncertainty surrounding Ibrahima Konate and his ongoing contract predicament, with Real Madrid looking poised to strike twice with the same strategy they used on Trent Alexander-Arnold by trying signing the Frenchman on a free next summer.
And if reports from Fabrizio Romano are to be believed then Liverpool are already working on a contingency plan. They’ve reportedly already agreed terms with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi as they plot an offer for the England international, and are simultaneously working on a deal to sign teenage Parma defender Giovanni Leoni to give the team long-term defensive cover. It only adds fuel to speculation surrounding Konate’s future and could potentially open the door to a permanent sale this summer.
Chelsea express interest in signing Ibrahima Konate
Chelsea stalwart Levi Colwill is expected to miss most of the season with a serious ACL injury, leaving the Blues in the market for a world-class successor to help them thrive in a 50+ game season. It’s claimed by Defensa Central, a Spanish outlet, that Chelsea have already submitted a £46m offer to Liverpool to test the waters on a potential deal for Konate.
It’s an offer, which if genuine, leaves Liverpool with a potential dilemma. On the one hand, the club would be getting a reasonable price for a defender in the final year of his contract rather than losing him on a free, which would be excellent for PSR, and would help fund the Alexander Isak pursuit, and or any potential centre back signings. But on the other hand could represent great risk as they’d essentially be helping to strengthen a direct Premier League rival on the eve of a new season.
The mega Chelsea and Liverpool swap that could work out nicely
Nkunku is surplus to requirements at Chelsea after the signings of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro in attack. He’s a player that lit up German football, scoring 36 goals across his final two league seasons while contributing 17 assists. The Frenchman was once seen as the calibre of player that could help catapult the Blues to their former glories, but a combination of injuries and his inability to fit into Enzo Maresca’s system has ultimately led to his Chelsea career failing.
Prior to joining Chelsea, however, it was heavily speculated that the Frenchman was a target for Liverpool, with The Times’ Paul Joyce commenting back in 2022: “Nunez was very much a Klopp signing (Liverpool’s recruitment thinktank preferred Christopher Nkunku, then of RB Leipzig, who has spent this season injured at Chelsea) and the manager spoke about how it is his responsibility to provide the player with the confidence to perform.”
Nkunku has never really found form at Chelsea but that’s not entirely stopped talks of a cut-price move to Liverpool three years after the initial saga, with L’Equipe among others claiming the champions could explore a cut-price deal for the forward. Chelsea have reportedly set a valuation of £50m for Nkunku which at this stage is unlikely to be paid by any top European club. However, it could be worth the Blues testing just how legitimate Liverpool’s interest is in him by potentially submitting a cash offer for Konate if the first bid isn’t successful with Nkunku included as part of the deal.
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