Liverpool thinking about a surprising new option for Ibrahima Konate after contract talks fall through
Liverpool are thinking about a surprising option to replace Ibrahima Konate after not reaching a new contract agreement with the French centre-back. Konate will leave Liverpool for free at the end of June, ending his five years at Anfield.
The 27-year-old was linked with Real Madrid during the last transfer window but has faced some criticism from Liverpool fans this season. In January, Liverpool signed Rennes centre-back Jeremy Jacquet for £55 million, but he has missed a lot of the season due to a shoulder injury.
With Konate leaving, Liverpool need to sign another centre-back, even though young Italian player Giovanni Leoni is expected to recover from an injury before pre-season starts.
According to TEAMtalk, Liverpool have also talked about bringing back academy player Jarell Quansah from Bayer Leverkusen. The 23-year-old didn’t play much last season at Liverpool under manager Arne Slot, and his surprise £35 million transfer last summer wasn’t replaced at the time.
Quansah has done well in Germany and was picked for England’s World Cup squad. Liverpool still admire his potential and are watching his progress closely.
This season, Quansah has played 44 games for Leverkusen and scored five goals. Leverkusen won’t be in the Champions League next season but will play in the Europa League.
Big clubs often keep a buy-back option when selling young players, and Liverpool did this with Quansah. They can buy him back for about £70 million this summer, dropping to £50 million after 2027. Given Liverpool’s current centre-back situation, paying the extra money to bring him back sooner might be worth it.
Last month, Quansah told Sky Sports News that leaving Liverpool wasn’t a hard choice because he didn’t get much playing time. “I just wanted to play,” he said. “I felt I could play at a top level. The Bundesliga is a top league, and with Leverkusen playing in the Champions League, I knew it was the right move.”