Liverpool set to complete Ibrahima Konate transfer in next 48 hours

Liverpool set to complete Ibrahima Konate transfer in next 48 hours

Liverpool are set to confirm the signing of Ibrahima Konate from Red Bull Leipzig in the next 48 hours after triggering his £36million release clause.

Jurgen Klopp's side finished the season strongly with a makeshift defensive partnership of Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams helping propel Liverpool towards Champions League qualifications.

Hopes of defending their Premier League title, however, were undermined by an almost unprecedented spate of defensive injuries which saw Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez ruled out for the majority of a testing campaign.

Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies were signed in January, but the former has already been told his loan move from Schalke will not culminate in the offer of a permanent deal, while the latter is yet to make his Liverpool debut following his transfer from Preston.

Despite the progress of Williams and Phillips, Liverpool and Klopp have been keen to guard against the possibility of being left short in defence again, and have opted to invest significantly in the 22-year-old Konate.

Liverpool set to complete Ibrahima Konate transfer in next 48 hours

Liverpool also considered making moves for Villarreal's Pau Torres, a long-term target of Manchester United's, and iverpool also considered the merits of Villarreal's Pau Torres and Duje Caleta-Car of Marseille.

Konate, however, is said to be viewed as the better long-term investment and although his own fitness record is far from a flawless one, any concerns have been allayed by the rigorous medical tests he has undergone.

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