Following Levi Colwill’s serious injury, Chelsea reportedly made a bid to sign Ibrahima Konate, a center-back for Liverpool, this summer.
As the France international enters the last year of his contract at Anfield, there have been speculations regarding his future for the majority of the summer.
In the same way that they signed Trent Alexander-Arnold earlier this year, Real Madrid has been linked to a possible transfer this summer. However, there are rumors that they may wait and sign Konate for free when his contract expires.
After Jarell Quansah left for Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool is looking to add a new center-back regardless of Konate’s future. Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace and Giovanni Leoni of Parma have been mentioned as possible additions.
Chelsea, Liverpool’s Premier League rivals, has reportedly “made a move to secure” Konate this summer with an “offer” of €50 million (£43 million), according to the Spanish website Defensa Central.
After the Blues center-back sustained a serious knee injury, Chelsea’s move was primarily motivated by Colwill’s “long-term absence.”
Real Madrid faces an “unexpected complication” when Chelsea enters the race for Konate because the Blues are willing to pay the “exact amount” that Liverpool is “asking for.”
While Konate is “leaning towards” a move to Real Madrid if the Spanish team can meet the Reds’ asking price, Liverpool “are not keen to strengthen a direct Premier League rival with one of their best players.”
According to the report, Chelsea is still processing the €50 million offer’s rejection, but they have a strong need to sign a center-back, so they may raise their offer.
Last month, journalist David Lynch learned that Konate had made it his “priority” to extend his contract at Anfield rather than looking for a new one.