After finishing third in the Premier League, Liverpool look to strengthen their defensive line by signing the 21-year-old French centre-back from RB Leipzig.
Liverpool entered last season with three senior centre backs – Virgil Van Dijk, Joel Matip, and Joe Gomez, the defensive midfielder as a back-up. LFC had no choice but to play Fabinho alongside young centre backs, which disrupted their whole formation. Jurgen Klopp’s men somehow managed to qualify for Champions League football next season and now they shift their focus to rectify their mistakes.
This made them step into the transfer market to sign Ozan Kabak on loan from Schalke 04 with a buy-back clause of £18m and Ben Davies for £1.6m from Preston North End in January on Deadline day. Kabak did impress after a difficult start, but Davies didn’t get to play last season.
The German who has been following the former Sochaux player for some time now is actively looking to bring him to Anfield by paying the release clause of £30.5m. The Frenchman is a promising player and has also been called up by France U21 for Euro 2020.
Konaté joined RB Leipzig in 2017 and has made 64 Bundesliga appearances since then. However, Konate started just eight Bundesliga games last season and missed the other due to a long-term ankle injury.
Back in March, Leipzig were hopeful of keeping him at Red Bull Arena but that no longer seems to be the case after reputable journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed the signing on Twitter.
Chelsea were also one of the clubs interested in signing the player this summer but never made an official offer. He also added that Liverpool, as of now, have no plans to trigger the release clause of Kabak.
The 6’4 is good at passing and also stays strong during aerial duels. With Van Dijk on his side, his game can drastically improve. He won 81 tackles and 33 aerial duels last season in the Bundesliga. He averages 4.53 clearances, 7.19 pressures per 90. He is also a progressive player who likes to dribble.
He is likely to suit Liverpool’s style of play and will be a great addition to their squad. This will also help them contend for the title next season.
However, this puts the future of Kabak, Davies, Rhys Williams, and Nathaniel Philips at stake. Williams and Philips helped Liverpool secure a top-four place in the Premier League with great performances towards the latter end of the season.
