Liverpool fans have little to worry about despite Ibrahima Konate seeming to flirt with Paris Saint-Germain in a recent interview that raised one or two eyebrows.
Covering the story in his Daily Briefing column, LFC writer Neil Jones explained why he felt this was a bit of a non-story, with the Reds expert insisting that the club would be highly unlikely to even consider any PSG offers for such an important player for their present and future.
Konate has impressed since joining Liverpool and Jones insists the Merseyside giants feel they got him for a bargain at £40million, as his value has surely only shot up since then.
The Frenchman was perhaps always likely to speak highly of PSG, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s angling for a move there, according to Jones, who clearly remains relaxed about this story as he’s not aware of anything more concrete happening behind the scenes, or any way that Liverpool would actually be likely to be persuaded to sell the player.
“A lot has been made of Ibrahima Konate’s comments about PSG recently, but from a Liverpool perspective I don’t think there’s much to worry about,” Jones said.
“Konate, of course, has ties to Paris and was never going to say ‘no, I never want to play for my hometown club’. As far as I’m aware, there is no concrete interest from PSG, and Liverpool would not entertain it if there was.
“Konate is very much the future as far as Liverpool’s defence is concerned. With Joel Matip well into his 30s and into the final year of his contract, Konate will be Virgil van Dijk’s partner going forward if he can stay fit. At 24, his best years are still very much ahead of him. He just needs to steer clear of injuries.
“And let’s be frank, there are not a plethora of top-class centre-backs in world football. Liverpool feel they got a good deal when signing Konate for less than £40m in 2021, and looking at the dearth of options out there now, you’d have to say he’s only got more valuable since.”