The latest update on Ibrahima Konate’s future indicates that FSG may need to act quickly if they want to secure the Liverpool defender.
Konate’s form in the first half of the season was a real concern for Liverpool.
The French defender was involved in several defensive lapses during Liverpool’s poor run of results leading up to Christmas.
But Konate has improved recently, and now there’s a growing push among fans for the club to keep hold of him.
Uncertainty remains over Ibrahima Konate’s future at Liverpool
His performances last season, especially in the title run-in, left little room for doubt over his quality. He and Van Dijk looked solid.
This year’s inconsistent form caused some concern among fans, but he’s shown signs of getting back to his best lately.
Even with that improvement, though, nothing is settled yet. The next few weeks are going to be important in figuring out where he ends up.
Speaking to The Redmen TV, Paul Gorst said: “I still think this could go either way. I guess the talks still ongoing suggest that Konate hasn’t ruled out staying at the club.”
“I think the next month or so might be critical. The next six to eight weeks maybe.”
Gorst seems to lean towards keeping the defender, pointing out how tough it would be to find a suitable replacement.
He added: “I think if Liverpool are to replace Konate, I suppose you could say they’ve maybe already done it with Jeremy Jacquet, but how much would a Konate replacement cost on the market?
“And then you’ve got to factor in the wages as well. I think maybe the devil you know is the best course of action for Liverpool.”
Liverpool’s options if Konate leaves
Let’s run through some of the options that could work if Konate does decide to leave Anfield.
Firstly, the names linked. You have Micky van de Ven, Alessandro Bastoni, Nico Schlotterbeck, Gleison Bremer and Murillo.
But there’s others who could be considered. Like Castello Lukeba at RB Leipzig, Goncalo Inacio at Sporting, Edmond Tapsoba at Leverkusen, and even someone like Antonio Rudiger, whose contract at Real Madrid is set to expire in the summer.
Maybe a free transfer for a season to help integrate Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni. Or maybe that’s mental…
Whatever the case, it’s becoming clear that the best option is to keep Konate at the club.
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