Now that we have started July, there are many football players who are only left to their contracts with only 12 months.
Such a moment is a golden chance for both clubs and players to get the best deals over the line, since this is demonstrably the last possible moment that a parent club can expect to get a reasonable amount for a player who may have claimed to leave at the end of his contract in any case.
Many players available on free transfers in 12 months
In six months, for example, negotiations can start with other clubs, with a view to a free transfer the next summer.
That precise scenario often turns out to be attractive for players, because they can order a higher signature, because the buying club does not have to dive in Clubkas to pay a transfer costs – which in the case of Ibrahima Konate would currently be somewhere around a £ 40 million valuation.
It is believed that the Frenchman has so far refused to negotiate with Liverpool, so that the Reds remain open to the vultures.
Rumors suggest that Real Madrid is once again throwing their bead eyes to Anfield, and they have never signed Alexander-Arnold, then they want to close a deal to give the right back a reunion.
Liverpool's own interest in Crystal Palace Stalwart, Marc Guehi, is almost certainly a sign that the Premier League outfit has accepted that there is little chance of changing Konate's thoughts.
The issue is whether Konate's hand is forced by Liverpool, who will probably continue to play at the beginning of the 2025/26 campaign if he has pronounced a preference to move to the Spanish capital – as seems to be.
King the perfect replacement for Rudiger?
Like a Like-For-Like Swap with Antonio Rudiger, there is a very good argument to suggest that Konate is the perfect replacement.
They both share the same physical characteristics and have the same will to win, but where it has the lead is with his pace.
Rudiger was also known as a lightning-fast center-back, let's not forget, although his knee problems have somewhat limited his excellence in this area.
Antonio Rudiger Radar Graphic 2024/25Opta perform by statistics
They only had to see how bad the German struggled in the various El Clasicos last season to understand that he can no longer be considered the first choice center-back in the big competitions for Los Blancos.
Real may not get things completely their own way with regard to Konate's landing, because it is further understood that Paris Saint-Germain could be on the market to bring him home. The temptation of the French capital, where Konate was born, is clear, but what would they or Real Madrid get for their money?
Ibrahima Konate Radar Graphic 2024/25Opta by Statistics Perfom
A speed rate of 63.4% is one of the best in the entire Liverpool team and considerably better than 52.5% of Virgil van Dijk. If he keeps Rudiger's excellence in this area, he can still keep his head high – 61.5%.
138 Clearance in 2024/25 was only improved by Van Dijk, just like Konate's 71 head of the head, although the 18 interceptions of the center-back are miserable compared to his Reds teammates.
Still a place in the game for rudimentary defense
117 Clearance and 70 heads of Rudiger are in no way bad, although 11 interceptions are even worse than king.
57.1% One-on-one game Success of Rudiger is enormously inferior to the 65.9% of the Liverpool man, and what that proves is the combative and competitive character of the Frenchman's natural game.
Ibrahima Konate errors vs West Ham United 2024/25Opta perform by statistics
As with the German, it seems that Konate derives pleasure from the fight and will not rest until he has the upper hand with his direct opponent.
Some can mention such a way of playing as a 'old school' and not to maintain the values ​​of a modern defender – such as the Dean Huijsen of Madrid – but there is still definitely a place in the game for a number of rudimentary defensive practices.
It seems that the only real question mark is whether Konate digs his heels in a year to get a free transfer movement, in the meantime possibly alienate him from Arne Slot, or that Florentino Perez decides to close the deal instead of risking a problem further in the course of the line.
To lose the player at any time will be enormously disappointing for the Anfield outfit, given the way in which he fits so well with Van Dijk, but a successful move for England International, Guehi, would certainly ease the blow.