Liverpool have triggered the £36m release clause of RB Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konate, according to multiple reports.
The 22-year-old French centre-back has been a rumoured long-term Reds transfer target, with the club having had to deal with an injury crisis in the position throughout the past season.
Without the crucial presences of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Joel Matip for the majority of the campaign, manager Jurgen Klopp has been eyeing up rearguard reinforcements as the former champions failed to retain the Premier League title.
Ozan Kabak came in from Schalke in January, but it currently doesn’t look like his move will be made permanent, while Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams remain relatively inexperienced.
Once Leipzig’s most recognised French defender, Dayot Upamecano, sealed his upcoming move to fellow Bundesliga side Bayern Munich, compatriot Konate has been one of Europe’s hottest defensive properties.
So what can Liverpool expect from Konate? Here, we take a detailed look at the incoming prodigy.
His career to this point...
Born in Paris, a hotbed of 21st-century footballing talent, and of Malian descent, Konate made his debut for French second-tier outfit Sochaux in February 2017.
After 11 more appearances and one goal, the now 6ft 4in powerhouse was signed by the Red Bull-funded side for free that summer on a five-year contract, who had just finished 2nd in their first season competing in the German top flight.
What might be cause for concern is Konate’s injury record, having missed 393 days of action (46 club matches) since the beginning of 2019-20 - most of which were due to torn muscle fibres from October 2019 to October 2020.
Of course, the Anfield hierarchy are no strangers when it comes to dealing with the Red Bull group, signing Naby Keita and Takumi Minamino in recent years.
As a person, the bubbly ‘Ibu’ idolises Sergio Ramos (as he told UMM earlier this year while showcasing his excellent English), and former Leipzig manager and sporting director Ralf Rangnick once tipped him for Real Madrid or La Liga rivals Barcelona in the future when speaking to Sportbild in 2019.
The youngster's playing style
Very much in the mould of a modern-day defender, the 194cm-tall Konate’s best qualities come in the form of passing and, unsurprisingly, aerially; with WhoScored.com statistics backing that up.
Although his career-best goal tally is three strikes in 18-19, the 22-year-old’s above-ground dominance ranked him fourth in the Leipzig squad this season for average aerial duels won each match (2.1) from only 695 league minutes.
A mere five Bundesliga players beat his 75% aerial duel success rate in 20-21 as his team finished second, 13 points behind perennial champions Bayern.
His 86.2% passing accuracy was impressive when taking into account boss Julian Nagelsmann’s gung ho approach, and his 1.6 clearances per-90 minutes match van Dijk’s average (albeit the lowest in the Redmen’s centre-back ranks).
It is worth noting that the outgoing Nagelsmann often employed a three-man back line in East Germany, giving Konate extra protection.
Although, that in turn meant defensive responsibilities (for things such as clearances) were shared out between him, Upamecano, and captain Willi Orban.
How he will fit in
Due to Liverpool’s dominance in possession - with only Manchester City boasting a higher average share this past Premier League campaign - Konate will undoubtedly be tasked with bringing the ball out from the back, something he’s well-equipped to do.
Only 4% of Bundesliga centre-backs averaged higher than the France youth international’s just over 395m ball-carrying distance per-90 this term (per FBRef ).
The same percentile goes for Konate’s 212.5m progressive carrying distance statistic, demonstrating his ability to step out and join in with build-up play like Fabinho and VVD.
He’s a decent presser, too, averaging a successful pressure rate of 37.2% since arriving in Germany four years ago (as much a team statistic as an individual feat).
Over the same period, the Redmen’s average was 31.2%.
What will also please the Anfield faithful is his pace, as a recent study courtesy of The Athletic found that Konate ranked as one of the three fastest centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues over the past two seasons, despite his injury issues.
In short, the Reds’ high line and demand on defenders to take part in build-up play suits the Leipzig youngster down to a tee.
Whether the £36m signing can oust his central defensive competition for a regular starting berth remains to be seen, but he certainly fits the profile of his reported new side.