Chelsea could look to hijack Liverpool move for 21-year-old defensive starlet

Transfer News: Chelsea could look to hijack Ibrahima Konate from Liverpool

According to transfer news from Express, Chelsea are planning an audacious swoop for Ibrahima Konate. It was reported that the French defender is very close to a move to Liverpool but now the Blues are planning to hijack the deal.

Konate has often been overshadowed by the more illustrious Dayot Upamecano. The latter is set to join Bayern Munich in the summer.

The Frenchman is a beast in the air and has put up numbers not too dissimilar to that of Upamecano. Still just 21, there is a long way to go in his career and could prove to be a shrewd acquisition.

The Leipzig man is one of the finest defenders in his age group and has a relatively modest €40million release clause. Although Leipzig are under no pressure to sell, they might just have to if the release clause is triggered.

Even though the Blues have conceded just twice in the 13 games they have played under Tuchel, they want to refresh their defensive options. With Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva ageing and Antonio Rudiger’s future still uncertain, it looks reasonable to add to the defensive ranks.

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It has been claimed that the Blues are still firmly in the race for Konate and any deal to Liverpool or other clubs are still not close to the finish line.

Quite how this pans out is anyone’s wild guess. Chelsea very likely have the financial muscle to pull this deal off and swoop Konate from under the noses of Liverpool.