Ibrahima Konaté is a fee agreement away from becoming Liverpool’s first summer signing. The player is said to have personally agreed to a five-year deal with the Anfield club, keeping him in England until 2026.
One section of business closes and another opens. Liverpool are wasting no time in completing their summer business – this deal, however, has reportedly been in the works since 23rd April.
Back in April, it was being widely recorded that Liverpool, like Bayern Munich, acted quickly to acquire the services of highly-rated RB Leipzig centre-back paring, Ibrahima Konaté and Dayot Upamecano – the former who will shortly become a Red while the latter will inevitably become a Bavarian.
"Ibrahima Konaté on the way to Anfield 40 bis 44 Million Euros. Konaté did cost nothing when he 2017 came from Sochaux, best transfer(s) ever in the history of RB. Deal nearly done. (Via: Guido Schäfer)"
Ibrahima Konaté on the way to Anfield⚽️40 bis 44 Million Euros. Konaté did cost nothing when he 2017 came from Sochaux, best transfer(s) ever in the history of RB. Deal nearly done
— Guido Schäfer (@schfer_g) May 24, 2021
There was a sticking point in the transfer deal for Ibrahima Konaté
All English Premier League
Prior to the news of Liverpool and Leipzig’s potential dealings for the CB, it was rumoured that Konaté was busy completing some of his medical checks after they met the player’s release clause.
We later learnt that the release clause was actually the roadblock. The Premier League side wants to pay the asking price in portions over a long period.
Firmly, the Bundesliga outfit denied them this right and wanted them to pay the full asking of €40 million.
But wait, there’s another twist… It looks as if the Reds will get their wish to pay the transfer fee in separate instalments but there’s a catch – the catch being they will have to pay a little above the asking price, primarily paying interest on the deal.
They will reportedly be paying upwards of €40-€44m (four million more than the initial appraisal) for their first summer target and a signing they regard as a priority following a sketchy title-defending campaign.
A season to forget for Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp and his men saved a disappointing campaign on the final day of Premier League football. They went from sweating no Champions League football for next season to ending third in the EPL standings on 69 points.
A lot to do with their failure in defending their English glory of 2019/2020, the loss of the colossal figure, Virgil van Dijk – him, and the rest of the team’s first-choice centre-backs. This made it difficult for Klopp to pick up any silverware, which they didn’t.
Following a strong ending to an injury-riddled campaign for the Merseysiders, they remain on the front foot in the transfer market and are edging closer to signing their first player, Ibrahima Konaté.