The agent of Ibrahima Konate, who is being heavily linked with Liverpool, is expecting “three or four” of his players to be involved in big deals this summer.
Since it was reported on Monday that Liverpool are closing in on the signing of Konate from RB Leipzig, there has already been a number of twists in the tale. The claims have been conflicted by the Bundesliga club’s sporting director, who says the Reds are not an option for the defender. But reports in France state he has already completed part of his medical ahead of a summer move to Anfield.
The contradictory stories have left many confused over the current status of the deal. However, the Reds are determined to get it over the line as they look to bolster their defensive options for 2021/22 and beyond.
And comments from Konate’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, hint that a transfer could indeed be on the cards. When discussing his expectations for the next window, Konate was one of the players mentioned by Barnett.
“It is going to be harder (due to the pandemic),” he told The Athletic (via the Daily Star).
“I’m expecting three or four very big deals of my own that will break a lot of records. Hopefully, they’ll come about.
“For the smaller clubs, I think there won’t be as many transfers. We have some very good players.
“We have probably the best young player in the world in (Eduardo) Camavinga. We’ve got Grealish. We’ve got Konate at Leipzig. But then I’ve got over 100 players.”
Konate has a £35.4m exit clause in his contract. That means the Reds would be able to bypass negotiations with Leipzig should they meet it. If they do so, it would be the second highest amount they have paid for a defender, beaten only by the £75million spent on Virgil van Dijk.
Krosche explains Leipzig Konate stance
Although they may not be able to stop Konate leaving, Leipzig’s sporting director Markus Krosche believes he will want to stay in Germany anyway.
Krosche moved quickly to deny reports, originating from David Ornstein, that Konate could switch to the Merseysiders.
“I think that this is not an option for Ibu,” Krosche said.
“He has a long contract with us and he knows what we mean to him and what he means to us.
“He was unlucky last year as he had a long-term injury but this year he is developing well. He’s an extremely important player that has a lot of potential.
“We want to help him to develop further, and we play in Europe and have a very good team. I don’t see a reason for him to leave us.”
Konate has played 15 club games in all competitions this season, scoring once. He has also featured four times for France under-21s, including 90 minutes in a 2-0 win over Russia on Sunday.
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