Liverpool prepare decisive January move as Reds ready conditional final bid for Premier League standout
Reports suggest that Liverpool have delivered a “final transfer ultimatum” to Ibrahima Konate, making it clear that they are prepared to bring in a new centre-back this January if one specific condition is met.
It feels like a defining moment for both the player and the club, especially with Liverpool trying to strengthen their defence after an inconsistent run.
Honestly, it shows how serious the club is about avoiding any mid-season weaknesses, they’re ready to act quickly if Konate can’t meet the expectations set for him.
Liverpool’s terrible performances this season have demonstrated that they are weak in some places, hence it is anticipated that they will be active in the transfer market over the next two windows.
They need to find long-term replacements for Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, so signing a centre-back and a winger will be their top objectives. However, they may also choose to replace other underperforming players.
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The Reds were unquestionably the best team in the Premier League last season, and they easily won their 20th championship by taking advantage of Arsenal’s and Manchester City’s difficulties.
It was somewhat surprise that the Reds opted to approve a massive roster revamp in the summer as the Dutchman assembled his own team because head coach Arne Slot brought out the best in Jurgen Klopp’s club.
Liverpool spent more than £400 million on their acquisitions during the summer, making them the highest spenders in Europe.
In addition to making significant investments to sign Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, and Giovanni Leoni, they twice shattered the British transfer record by signing Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.
The role left by Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah, and Harvey Elliott was filled by these acquisitions, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions.
The champions’ new midfield has severely lacked cohesiveness, and the majority of their key players have played poorly, suggesting that they made too many changes in a single window.
Slot’s team has lost five of their first eleven Premier League games this season as a result of this. They have already left the race for the championship and are currently ranked ninth in the table.
Looking ahead, Bournemouth standout Antoine Semenyo has been mooted as a potential replacement for Salah, while Crystal Palace and England great Marc Guehi is likely to continue to be their top centre-back target after a summer transfer fell through.
According to a rumour from a reputable X account with more than 680k followers and a “team of five elite reporters,” they will “submit a bid” to sign Guehi in January after making it clear to Konate that his contract expires in 2026.
“Liverpool are not prepared to allow this saga to drag on for much longer, and are ready to cash in on Konate and replace him with Marc Guehi this January,” the outlet continued in a piece for Caught Offside.
“Liverpool has made Konate another contract offer, but if he rejects it, they won’t make him another one.
The club believes that this latest offer would make the player one of their highest earners.”
Regarding Guehi, former Liverpool player Don Hutchinson has stated why he believes his old team has “blown their chances” of acquiring the centre back.
“Their chances of signing him are completely gone now — absolutely finished,” Hutchinson told Sportscasting.com. “Honestly, if Liverpool failed to seal the Guehi deal, I’d love to know what really happened behind the scenes.
Let’s say Crystal Palace were asking for around £45 million. Considering they would have secured Marc Guehi for six solid years, Liverpool should have just gone in with £50 million and wrapped it up. They really should have paid the fee and closed the deal.”
To be fair, missing out on a defender of Guehi’s quality could haunt them later. Sometimes clubs overthink negotiations, and by the time they realise the value, the opportunity is already gone.
