In a recent report, The Athletic has stated that Liverpool are closing in on Red Bull Leipzig defensive ace Ibrahima Konate. It is believed that the Reds are eyeing the French centre-back as their first signing of the summer transfer window (via The Athletic).
Konate’s Injury Frustrations At The Red Bull Arena This Season
The Paris-born talent has endured an injury-ravaged season at Parc Des Princes but has still managed to produce some impressive displays at the heart of Julian Nagelsmann’s defence. Konate has appeared in 15 matches for the German club this term, netting one goal in the process across all fronts.
Despite missing several games because of an ankle injury, the 21-year-old deserves a bit of credit for averaging 0.9 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 1.9 clearances per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League this season. He has also distributed possession with a lot of conviction after completing 82.5% of his attempted passes in both those competitions (stats via whoscored).
If Konate can show a clean bill of health in the coming seasons, he could have a very promising future in European football. He will be a major coup for Liverpool as they clearly need to strengthen their defence by adding more quality this summer following an injury-plagued campaign for all of their first-team centre-backs.
What Will The Leipzig Centre-Half Add To Jurgen Klopp’s Side?
Konate is a moderately paced central defender who is composed on the ball and has no trouble passing his way out from the back. Standing at 1.94m, he can often outjump the opposition using his strength and leaping ability to win some important aerial duels for his team.
The French sensation is not afraid to get in with a few tackles to disrupt the opposition’s rhythm and doesn’t take too many chances with his clearances. However, recent injuries have hampered his development at the Red Bull Arena, so there are some concerns over whether he would be able to cope with the physicality and high intensity of Premier League football.
At 21, Konate is a player on the rise, so Jurgen Klopp will fancy his chances of developing him into a world-class centre-back in the coming seasons. The Leipzig whizkid is good enough to rival Joe Gomez and Joel Matip for a place alongside Virgil Van Dijk at Anfield next season. All in all, Konate will be a decent signing if they can get a deal over the line for him in this off-season.
