Liverpool cannot sign Ben White (or any other centre-halves for that matter) after they bought Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig for £36million.
The Reds worked on signing him for several months after we reported in February that Michael Edwards was working on getting an agreement in place by the end of the season.
His move to Anfield was officially announced on the 28th of May after they agreed to pay the player’s release clause upfront after being told they would not be able to split it up over multiple instalments.
With Konate expected to come straight into the starting XI, Liverpool’s defensive crisis is now at an end and signing someone like Ben White from Brighton simply makes no sense anymore.
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 26: Marcus Rashford of Manchester United in action with Ben White of Brighton and Hove Albion during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United at American Express Community Stadium on September 26, 2020 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Ben White is a terrific player as evidenced by his inclusion in England’s squad for this summer’s European Championships and Liverpool have shown interest in him in the past but he’s not needed anymore.
John Cross reports for the Mirror: “Arsenal have joined the race to sign Brighton’s £50m-rated defender Ben White. They will face major competition from the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United in the 23-year-old.”
I find this story odd as Konate has just arrived at the club and I said yesterday when links emerged with Juventus’ Cristian Romero, the Reds are surely not tracking another centre back.
This season was a total mess for Jurgen Klopp. Every player that he played at centre-back suffered at least one injury as the German was forced to field 20 different centre-back pairings.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – APRIL 10: Juergen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool interacts with Nathaniel Phillips and Ozan Kabak during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Aston Villa at Anfield on April 10, 2021 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Ahead of next season, however, Liverpool will have van Dijk, Gomez, Matip, Konate and Phillips to choose from and so adding Ben White would simply make zero sense and would be a total waste of £50million.
Arsenal and Manchester United are both in need of a new centre-back but will surely not face competition from the Reds and if they are interested, I expect them to bow out of the race.
