‘Been a pleasure’ – Konate reacts to Van Dijk amid Liverpool exit latest
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate could be one of the Reds’ biggest departures this summer as the Frenchman weighs up his future.
Konate only has one year left on his current Liverpool deal, meaning he could leave on a free next summer and is the subject of interest from Real Madrid.
The 26-year-old has yet to sign a new deal and Arne Slot has already lost Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen whilst Joe Gomez has left the club’s pre-season tour with an injury.
Liverpool defeated Japanese side Yokohama FM 3-1 to bounce back from their 4-2 defeat to AC Milan.
Van Dijk sends ‘pleasure’ message
Konate is on the club’s pre-season tour of Asia and he has liked captain Virgil van Dijk’s verdict on their trip to Japan.
The Dutchman put “Its been a pleasure, arigato Japan,” with a pictures from the match.
Van Dijk has been a constant for Liverpool since he joined the club from Southampton in 2017, but he faces having to form new relationships at the back next season.
Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold left to join Real Madrid and has been replaced by Jeremie Frimpong whilst Milos Kerkez has arrived on the opposite flank from Bournemouth before the potential departure of Konate.
Liverpool strike force could prove the difference
Konate has formed a solid partnership with van Dijk which helped the Reds to a second Premier League title last season.
With a new right-back and new left-back, Arne Slot needs to keep as much defensive stability as possible to make a smooth transition into the next campaign.
Losing Konate would leave Slot with a problem which he could only fix by dipping into the transfer market.
| Appearances | 42 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 2 |
Van Dijk’s leadership on and off the pitch will therefore be vital to get Liverpool through the opening months of the campaign as smoothly as possible with a new back line.
Liverpool will have the firepower to beat teams next season, but any signs of defensive fragility could be punished by their closest challengers.
Slot wants to increase his firepower further with the potential addition of Newcastle striker Alexander Isak alongside Mo Salah, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike, who will prove the difference makers in tight contests.