Now that there has been some time to digest the news that Ibrahima Konate, a stalwart in the heart of Liverpool's defense for several years is leaving the club, we can begin to look ahead to new pathways for the Frenchman.
Konate is departing the Reds upon the expiry of his current contract this summer after he and the club could not come to terms on a new contract to extend his 183 appearance tenure.
As a result, the 27-year old will now have full control over where he next lands in his footballing career. He is still in his prime, and despite coming off a downturn in form this season, should have several top clubs knocking on his door this summer.
Against that backdrop, let's take a look at the three most likely destinations for Ibrahima Konate following his Liverpool exit.
1. Real Madrid
This one should come as no surprise to anyone. The Spanish giants have been courting Konate for the better part of a year now, following their successful pursuit of Trent Alexander-Arnold last summer.
There is clear mutual interest between the club and player, and Real, coming off a disappointing season of their own, will be eager to make a big splash early in the transfer window. Signing Konate on a free would do just that.
He could link up with his former Liverpool teammate in TAA, but also, his fellow countrymen in Kylian Mbappe, Eduardo Camavinga, Ferland Mendy and Aurelien Tchouameni.
That is a strong French contingent for Ibou to join, which would ease his transition to life in Spain following a half-decade on Merseyside.
2. PSG
Another option that should be obvious to most, a return to France to play for what could be the back-to back European champions at the time of this writing, sounds like a good gig.
Looking at it from a Paris Saint-Germain perspective, being able to add a France international for free to their already talent infused squad sounds like a no-brainer.
He would solidify their defense and give Luis Enrique another strong option for rotation to keep everyone fresh as they chase multiple trophies each season. Konate was also born in Paris, so this would be an absolute homecoming situation for all involved.
He would need to recapture the consistency that put him on the map while at Liverpool if he wanted to gain regular starts for PSG, but that extra pressure might be what he needs to take the next step.
3. AC Milan
This is a less-heralded option, but I really do think there are several clubs in Serie A that should pursue a free agent of the caliber and age range that Konate falls in.
However, of those clubs, it's AC Milan that should try and capitalize on something like this following their final day collapse that saw them go from near Champions League locks, into a Europa League spot for next season.
With the club cleaning house from the manager on up, the loss of UCL revenue, being able to bring in a proven defender for no transfer fee would be huge for them.
I think Konate could thrive in the slower pace in Italy, where his physical gifts might be even more pronounced then what we saw at Liverpool. He'd need to clean up his positional discipline, but even then, his athleticism would be able to bail him out more often than not in Serie A.
Plenty of options
Ibrahima Konate leaving Liverpool on a free is a huge blow to the Reds in more ways than one. This now means he will have numerous clubs lining up to battle over his signature.
The aforementioned three should all make big pushes and have compelling cases to bring him in, but Konate can take his time and make sure he finds the perfect place to take his game to the next level.
Expect Florentino Perez to push very hard to get Ibou to end up following Trent to the Bernabeu though, and they should be favorites.
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