Sources close to Anfield Central have been told that when Manchester United made contact with RB Leipzig, they were told that Ibrahima Konate had already agreed on personal terms with Liverpool.
Liverpool signed Konate from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig for a total cost of £54.2million as they are paying him £18.2million over the five years of his contract after making him their number one priority earlier this season.
The French defender had a £36million release clause and with Jürgen Klopp looking to bolster his defensive options, Konate was named as the man to take his side forward.
Konate missed 393 days of football since October 2019 but clearly, the club feels as though this isn’t a reason to worry.
Ever since reaching a verbal agreement with the defender before personal terms were agreed, it was straightforward to complete his move to Anfield.
His presence in the side is an exciting prospect and it’s even sweeter when you consider that Liverpool embarrassed Manchester United by beating them to Konate, with sources close to Anfield Central reporting that the Red Devils were told the Frenchman had already committed himself to Liverpool when they came knocking.
It’s a repeat of the Virgil van Dijk saga when United called Southampton only to be told that he was on Merseyside completing a medical ahead of a £75m move to Liverpool where he has since won both the Champions League and Premier League.
Konate is one of the most exciting defenders in the world but he will face competition from Joe Gomez for a starting role. For Liverpool supporters, this is great news after the lack of options this season.
Van Dijk and Gomez are expected to return to action next season while van Dijk is on his way back already, with the Dutchman aiming to return in time for the EUROs.