Liverpool have been heavily linked with a move for RB Leipzig centre-half Dayot Upamecano in recent months, but he reportedly isn’t the only Roten Bullen defender we’re said to be interested in.
In the early stages of the January transfer window, BILD Sport chief writer Christian Falk confirmed the Reds are indeed interested in the 23-year-old – but also team-mate Ibrahima Konate.
Talk of the Premier League champions making a move for the Frenchmen hasn’t really went away, but it’s fair to say reports relating to Upamecano have been more commonplace.
However, it in a round-the-table chat with the Guardian, uber-reliable journalist Rory Smith stated he believes Liverpool will be signing a Leipzig centre-half this summer – but it won’t be who we’re all thinking.
It was a rather cryptic comment, in which the reporter didn’t explicitly state who he was talking about, but Konate is clearly the player he was hinting at.
‘I think Liverpool intend to sign a centre-back in the summer and I think that central defender is probably someone they will play against in Champions League’s last 16. And I don’t think it’s going to be Upamecano,‘ is what Smith said.
Anyone who has taken the time to watch the German side recently may come to the conclusion that Konate is actually the superior player – made even more impressive given he’s two years younger than Upamecano.
The only problem is the 21-year-old seems to be somewhat injury prone, suffering three so far this season – missing a total of 13 games – but these can all be traced back to a niggling problem he had in 2019 and may not be a permanent issue.