Liverpool put RB Leipzig in a tough spot with their reported interest in Ibrahima Konate. He’s not the only defender the Reds supposedly want, after all.
Bild’s Christian Falk believes Liverpool like both Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano of RB Leipzig. Both players fit similar profiles – they’re both athletic, French, centre-halves in their early 20s.
It’s little surprise, then, that the Reds would like both. But in doing so, they put Leipzig in a difficult position.
Pressure
Upamecano is a unique case. He’s a player with enormous potential, playing a starting role for a Champions League club at 21. But he also has a release-clause for just £36m coming into effect at the end of the season.
That’s according to Bild earlier this year, who reported that Liverpool liked the look of that deal.
Injuries to key defenders mean the Reds can’t help but look at the market in January, however. And they’d surely be open to bringing any deal for Upamecano forward – if Leipzig were open to that.
Their interest in Konate should make Leipzig more open to the idea, though.
If Upamecano doesn’t sign a new contract, he’ll almost certainly leave at the end of the season. There’s little Leipzig can do about that. But there’s now a chance they’ll lose both players.
If Liverpool waited until the summer and didn’t get Upamecano – in the case he went somewhere else – they’d almost certainly keep their attention on Konate. And that’s not good for Leipzig.
But if the Germans listened to an offer for Upamecano in January, they could eliminate Liverpool’s interest in the younger defender. And, potentially, secure more money for Upamecano than if they waited for the release clause to activate.
It’s undoubtedly a complicated situation. But it simply comes down to this – Leipzig are going to lose Upamecano anyway and they won’t want a European giant sniffing around Konate.
It benefits them to listen to a January offer and Liverpool may be tempted to make one.
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