Liverpool have set their eyes on a new candidate to replace Ibrahima Konate
Liverpool have joined the race for a French-born defender who could replace Ibrahima Konate this summer, according to a report.
Konate faces almost as much of an uncertain future as his Liverpool centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk. While in the captain’s case the doubts are because of an expiring contract, for Konate the prospect of a move to Paris Saint-Germain has been looming for a while as the final year of his own terms on Merseyside approaches.
Konate was born in Paris and is a PSG fan, so after he became a serious target for Luis Enrique’s side, it’s understandable that Liverpool could have concerns about him moving on.
And amid that background, coupled with the Van Dijk situation, centre-back has become an area for Liverpool to draw up a list of targets for.
They have now added a new name to that list, according to Africa Foot, by showing interest in Braga’s Sikou Niakate.
Niakate was linked with both Manchester United and Manchester City in January, but now Liverpool are said to be in contention to bring the 25-year-old to the Premier League.
And they could do so at a reasonable price, after Braga gave him a €30m (£25.5m) release clause.
In addition to both Manchester clubs, the report has cited interest in Niakate from three other clubs. West Ham United have been named as admirers, along with Bologna and Galatasaray.
However, all of those mentions in the report relate to previous attempts to sign Niakate, so it remains to be seen if those clubs will be competing with Liverpool for him in the future or not.
Liverpool defensive targets amid Konate stalemate
It’s also yet to be verified elsewhere if Niakate is someone Liverpool will bid for. Sources have told TEAMtalk that the Reds are interested in defenders like Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, Ajax’s Jorrel Hato and Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen.
All of those might be more familiar names, which also means they could come with higher price tags. However, Guehi and Huijsen have the bonus of already having Premier League experience.
As for Konate, we understand that Liverpool want to keep their no.5 and started talks with a contract offer last year, but with nothing signed yet, they want clarity on his future before the summer transfer window opens.
The interest from PSG is genuine and Real Madrid are also contenders for his signature, but Liverpool haven’t set a price tag for him yet.
Who is Sikou Niakate?
Born four miles outside Paris’ city centre, Niakate spent six years in the PSG academy, but was released in the year he turned 14.
A few years later, he got a chance with Valenciennes, then a Ligue 2 outfit. He earned his senior debut as a 17-year-old in March 2017 and continued to develop over the following months, catching the attention of Guingamp in the process.
After a couple of seasons with Guingamp, still in Ligue 2, Niakate stepped up to Ligue 1 with Metz in 2021. He only played 12 times, though, before embarking on a new challenge in Portugal.
At Braga, he has found a home. He played enough on loan in the 2022-23 season to earn a permanent stay and has remained there ever since, playing in all three UEFA competitions along the way.
Niakate has also earned full international caps for Mali after switching allegiance.
Left-footed, Niakate is known as a good ball-playing centre-back and someone who can progress play well from defence.