[Not Upamecano] Liverpool interested in Bundesliga star as search for defender continues

Liverpool are interested in signing Ibrahima Konate but his injury record may worry fans

A report by Christian Falk of BILD (h/t Liverpool ECHO) has stated that Liverpool are interested in signing Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig in January.

The Reds lost both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez this season due to serious injuries which will see the duo miss the majority of the remaining campaign.

Dayot Upamecano has been one name that has been on the lips of many – including legendary Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher

Ibrahima Konate is Upamecano’s centre-back partner at RB Leipzig since the summer of 2017 when he joined Leipzig from Ligue 1 club Sochaux.

Liverpool have one fit senior centre-back in Joel Matip and have had to use defensive midfielder Fabinho in the backline on many occasions.

Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips have stepped up multiple times in the centre-back role but both are highly inexperienced at this level. On top of that, using Fabinho in defence means Liverpool will miss his combative style of play in the heart of the midfield.

Konate is just 21 years old and already has 84 senior appearances for the Bundesliga side. He will not only be a good option for the long-term because of his high potential ceiling, but also for the short term where he can fill in the void left by Gomez and van Dijk’s injury.

However, one problem that can potentially arise is that of him being prone to injuries. The defender has already suffered multiple spells – some very lengthy – on the sidelines due to suffering from injuries |(h/t Transfermarkt

If we are to sign a centre-back, it’ll be wiser to go for someone who doesn’t offer Klopp any potential injury headaches. Some reports suggest that we may go for a centre-back in January itself, while others indicate that Klopp will wait until the summer to make a move. (h/t Liverpool ECHO)