Liverpool to battle Everton for £5m League One defender from Joe Gomez’s former club

Liverpool are interested in signing Charlton Athletic’s highly-rated defender Ezri Konsa but face competition from Merseyside rivals Everton. The Daily Mirror reports that the Reds are keeping tabs on the 20-year-old, who has built up some high reputation in the lower division, with Charlton.

The Merseyside giants are said to be battling it out with local rivals Everton and a host of other interested parties as Charlton owner Roland Duchatelet looks to cash in on his prized asset. Konsa was a member of the England under-20 squad that won the World Cup last summer, playing alongside Liverpool’s Dominic Solanke.

Given that he has impressed in his time with the Addicks, Konsa, who has already accumulated 68 senior appearances for the League One club, is attracting a lot of interest from a host of Premier League clubs. The Charlton starlet is best known as a central defender but some of his 23 outings this season have been at right-back.

The report adds that Konsa will cost around £5m, with both Liverpool and Everton set to battle it out for the highly-rated English talent. The Reds are understood to be top runners for Konsa’s signature, as manager Jurgen Klopp seems keen on adding the youngster to his squad.

We already have one former Charlton prospect on our books, having raided the League One club to sign Joe Gomez in the summer of 2015.

Gomez, the England U-21 skipper, has established himself as a regular starter under Klopp this season. In the absence of the injured Nathaniel Clyne, the former Charlton defender has made the right-back position his own by putting up a string of impressive performances.

Konsa has put in some fantastic displays this season in League One and is rated very highly by Karl Robinson, his manager. However, Robinson admitted that the young defender could leave the club if he gets an opportunity in January.

“My gut feeling is that he will go in January,” Robinson was quoted by the Daily Mirror.

“If I was him I’d be looking to go in January but we should look for £5m minimum. Maybe we could try for a loan back but the player has to want that.”

It certainly seems as if Robinson is assured that Konsa is the real deal. Klopp, who has a fantastic track record of nurturing the youngsters, should get the Charlton starlet on his books as quickly as possible.