Ibrahima Konate hasn’t had an easy season at Liverpool so far. After becoming a regular fixture in the heart of the team’s defense, the Frenchman has failed to impress fans with his performances this season, with his situation becoming even more complicated due to his contract status.
The Frenchman is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, with no signs of a renewal in sight. Having famously missed out on Marc Guehi this summer, the Reds are also short of options at the back, and any exit by Konate would further increase their urgency to sign defensive reinforcements.
Liverpool Preparing For Life Without Ibrahima Konate
Real Madrid was interested in Ibrahima Konate at the start of the season, but reportedly retracted its interest last month. Nevertheless, with no new deal in sight, there is every chance the 26-year-old France international could leave on a free transfer.
In that event, according to CaughtOffside, Liverpool would reportedly look to sign at least one of Jeremy Jacquet, Guehi, and Nico Schlotterbeck. Jacquet, 20, is a rising star at French side Rennes, and Liverpool scouts have reportedly been impressed after watching him in multiple Ligue 1 matches this season.
Guehi, a full England international and in his prime at 25, is set to be a free agent this summer. Given how close he came to joining the Reds a few months ago, it will be interesting to see whether both parties are confident of finally completing a deal when the transfer window opens again.
Schlotterbeck, meanwhile, is in the final two years of his contract. Reportedly, the Black and Yellow have not made much progress in talks over a new deal — something the Reds have taken notice of. The left-footed 26-year-old German international is one of the Bundesliga’s finest defenders and would likely draw significant interest if he opts not to stay in Dortmund.
Apart from Konate, the Reds have Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez in defense. Giovanni Leoni made a promising debut this season but has since been sidelined with a long-term injury.
Arne Slot Happy With Change in Liverpool’s Defensive Fortunes
Liverpool has kept three clean sheets in their past five matches across competitions. Konate has played in all three and has largely been solid despite a mistake-filled start to the campaign.
Virgil van Dijk has had his share of errors as well, and inconsistency from the fullbacks has meant Liverpool has looked defensively fragile at times. However, things have improved recently, and head coach Arne Slot views it as a foundation to build on.
After the 2-0 league win against Brighton & Hove Albion on Dec. 13 at Anfield, Slot said, via the club’s official website: “In my opinion, we are starting to play better and better on the ball as well. And from the last five games we’ve played, we kept three clean sheets, and that is something to build on, especially after conceding four against PSV [Eindhoven] and three against Nottingham Forest.”
Results have not matched what Liverpool fans have grown accustomed to in recent years, and they will hope for a run of wins in Europe and domestically sooner rather than later. The Reds sit sixth in the league and ninth in the UEFA Champions League — failure to win either competition would, for a club of Liverpool’s stature, represent an underwhelming campaign.
