Liverpool signed two defenders on deadline day last month, but may now be nearing a deal for another one.
The Reds lost not one, not two but three centre backs to season-ending injuries with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all going down.
Liverpool decided to bring in Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak in the final hours of the January window, but they may not be long-term solutions.
Davies was a cheap signing from Preston and has yet to make his debut, whilst Kabak is only on loan from Schalke with a view to a permanent move.
Now, The Athletic claim that Liverpool are finalising a deal for Ibrahima Konate, with talks now advanced over a deal for the RB Leipzig defender which could cost around £34million.
Konate is a hugely exciting talent at just 21, and has shown his quality as one of Europs’ top young centre backs since signing from Sochaux back in the summer of 2017.
However, this is a huge risk from Liverpool’s transfer guru Michael Edwards, and that’s because Konate’s injury record at Leipzig has been massively concerning.
As noted by Transfermarkt, Konate has picked up eight different injuries in almost four years at Leipzig, including six since the start of 2019.
Torn muscles, ankle injuries, thigh issues, knocks… Konate has 46 games since the start of 2019 according to Transfermarkt’s calculations.
Liverpool have had enough problems with injured centre backs this season; adding an injury-prone centre back at a huge fee may only exacerbate the problems moving forward.
Still, Konate is a huge talent, and Edwards may believe that he can become a star at Anfield over the coming years.
If he’s going to do it, he’ll need to over come those injury problems and prove he can be relied upon consistently.
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