Liverpool should tie up £200k per-week-deal despite transfer interest in £40m star - opinion
Liverpool have an issue in the middle of defence but is the solution the most obvious one?
As well as a new striker, Liverpool are keen to add reinforcements to the defence on which the Premier League title was secured.
The future of the full-back positions have been addressed with Virgil van Dijk putting pen to paper on a new deal, however, the departure of Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen leaves Arne Slot.
Joe Gomez is valued by the Reds, but it would be negligent to put all their hopes on a player who struggled to stay fit last season with Marc Guehi the favourite to replace the 28-year old.
The Crystal Palace stopper is reported to have a price tag of over £50m which, given that he is out of contract at the end of the season, seems unrealistic. In six-months time Guehi will be almost worthless and able to discuss a pre-contract agreement.
Marc Guehi v Ibrahima Konate - who should Liverpool back?
In the meantime, Liverpool have a similar situation brewing with Ibrahima Konate rejecting a new contract with demands said to be in the region of £200,000 per week.
The France international isn’t stupid though. Real Madrid are sniffing about and he knows that he is one of the best central defenders in Europe. It’s no wonder that he is demanding a salary that reflects this.
For perspective, if Liverpool signed Guehi for £40m, that would equate to £192,000 per week for four years. The sort of weekly wage that Konate would likely agree to.
Football is about balancing the books more than ever now and the cheaper of the two options is to keep Konate by the time that a transfer fee and wages are paid to Guehi.
It also makes more sense on the pitch too with Konate winning more duels and headers than his Premier League counter part, he is also plays more forward passes, completes a higher percentage of passes and is a better ball carrier, as per Data MB.
Guehi is good, he just isn’t as good as Konate.
Has Konate already made his mind up?
Unfortunately, last summer Konate made the sort of comments that suggest he isn’t happy at Liverpool, even if the manager has changed.
He said: "I came with a lot of expectations, that's part of football.
"I knew what my place was before the first match. It's frustrating but I know my role on and off the field. A 100% 'Ibou' would never have sat on the bench.
"I didn't play for a month and a half. But I prepared, and I almost passed out more than once. The preparation was very short. It's part of football. It was a good lesson for me."
If Guehi is signed and Konate doesn’t leave, one of them will miss out most weeks and it won’t be the player who has just cost the club a sizeable transfer fee. Only the France international knows if signing a new deal would make him happy.