Latest news with #IbrahimaKonate
BBC News
15 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Leverkusen accelerate Quansah interest as Reds target Guehi
Bayer Leverkusen are set to accelerate their interest in Liverpool defender Jarell and Liverpool have been locked in talks over the Premier League club's £116m move for Florian Wirtz, which could be completed by the start of next week with the Germany international's medical clubs have continued contact regarding Quansah, though Liverpool are not actively trying to sell the have an interest in Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi, who could be viewed as a replacement for Sport understands that the Anfield club's level of interest in England international Guehi this summer is linked to Palace's asking price for the year, Palace rejected four offers from Newcastle with the final one reaching £65m. However, Guehi has just 12 months left on his deal meaning he can leave for nothing next a deal for Guehi can not be reached during this transfer window, Liverpool would be interested in landing the centre-back on a free next addition to Quansah's possible move to Germany, there is also some uncertainty over fellow centre-back Ibrahima Konate's defender Konate has 12 months left on his contract at Anfield and is yet to agree an extension, while Joe Gomez's future is also unclear this summer.
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Liverpool join the race to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi to replace one of their star defenders heading closer towards the exit
Liverpool are showing an interest in Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi as it appears his England team-mate Jarell Quansah is heading for the Anfield exit door. Quansah, who broke through in Jurgen Klopp 's final season but struggled to back it up in the following campaign, is high on Bayer Leverkusen's shopping list to replace the outgoing Jonathan Tah. Tah joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer and the German side are keen on Quansah. They hold good relations with Liverpool and the English champions unofficially owe them a favour after signing both Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz this summer. Guehi is one contender Liverpool could sign to replace him and the England star is heading into his last year under contract at Selhurst Park. Last season, the Eagles were after as much as £65million to sell their captain as Newcastle had a number of bids turned down. Their bargaining power is somewhat weaker now but he would still command a fair fee, and they are in talks to sign Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomande for as much as £40m — a player Liverpool have scouted in the past. Jarrad Branthwaite has also been considered by the Anfield hierarchy but signing a player from city rivals Everton would be tricky. The Reds want a defender with Ibrahima Konate's future still not solved and the Frenchman is entering the final year of his Anfield deal, though the two parties are in talks over an extension with Real Madrid lurking in the background and keen on him. Joe Gomez is also still at Liverpool and Arne Slot likes his leadership qualities though he missed a chunk of last season through injury. There was mass interest to sign him and he nearly departed last summer. In both cases of Quansah and Gomez, Liverpool are not pushing them to the exit door. Wirtz jetted into England on Thursday and will complete his medical tests on Friday ahead of being officially unveiled as a Liverpool player for a club-record £100m which could rise to £116m. They have already signed his good mate Frimpong — the pair were on holiday together this week — for £29.5m and they are close to signing Hungary and Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez for around £40m. Liverpool also want a striker if they can afford it. Newcastle's Alexander Isak is the dream though he would command an even bigger fee than what they are paying for Wirtz. Eintracht Frankfurt's France striker Hugo Ekitike is another they like. Andy Robertson is mulling over a potential move to Atletico Madrid. Sources in Spain say the capital club are confident but there is no done deal yet either at a personal or club-to-club level. Darwin Nunez and Federico Chiesa are also likely to leave this summer. Harvey Elliott is likely to have reduced game time with the arrival of Wirtz and could also be sold if a big offer comes in.
BBC News
17 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Leverkusen set to accelerate Quansah interest
Bayer Leverkusen are set to accelerate their interest in Liverpool defender Jarell and Liverpool have been locked in talks over the Premier League club's £116 million move for Florian Wirtz, which could be completed by the start of next week with the Germany international's medical clubs have continued contact regarding Quansah, though Liverpool are not actively trying to sell the 22-year-old found his first-team opportunities limited last season and a move could interest the defender, who has been named in senior England have an interest in Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi, who could be viewed as a replacement for Quansah. BBC Sport understands that the Anfield club's level of interest in England international Guehi this summer is linked to Palace's asking price for the year, Palace rejected four offers from Newcastle with the final one reaching £65m. However, Guehi has just 12 months left on his deal meaning he can leave for nothing next a deal for Guehi can not be reached during this transfer window, Liverpool would be interested in landing the centre-back on a free next addition to Quansah's possible move to Germany, there is also some uncertainty over fellow centre-back Ibrahima Konate's defender Konate has 12 months left on his contract at Anfield and is yet to agree an extension, while Joe Gomez's future is also unclear this summer.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Chelsea's newest recruit Mamadou Sarr reveals the Premier League star he hopes to emulate - as French wonderkid opens up on Strasbourg, Andrey Santos and why he can become a starter at Stamford Bridge
What Chelsea 's newest central defender Mamadou Sarr may lack in decibels, he more than makes up in the depth of his declarations, with a few lines from the softly-spoken 19-year-old Frenchman forcing us to lean in a little further than we already are. 'When I was a kid, I had a dream,' Sarr says as we battle to hear him over the Mercedes-Benz Stadium's air-con units in Atlanta. 'It was to be the best centre back in the world. 'I want to be like Virgil van Dijk. I love Van Dijk. He's a leader. For a defender, that's very important. But some people tell me I play like Ibrahima Konate.' There is nothing wrong with a smidgen self-confidence – or confiance en soi as Sarr would say in the French that he occasionally slips into our chat, testing our GCSE credentials – and Chelsea will be pleased if he can come close to resembling either Liverpool defender after adjusting to the rigours of English football. They spent £12million to sign this polite 6ft 4in figure from their French sister club, another teenager tied down to a whopping eight-year deal. Sarr spent the last season playing under Liam Rosenior, the Englishman going on record to insist he can indeed become a world-class centre back with the right guidance. 'I trust him, and I trust me,' adds Sarr, a right-footer who will compete with Wesley Fofana and Co. 'I think I anticipate well. With the ball, I can pick a good pass. Off and on the pitch, I talk a lot. It's an important job. It's good for me to have competition. That will help me to be a better defender. 'He (Rosenior) was a top coach for me. He believed in me. He taught me how I can defend better, how I can help the team better, to speak a lot. Before, I didn't speak a lot. Now, I speak more.' Prior to signing for Strasbourg, Sarr spent six years in the Lens youth academy and then another six at Lyon, including a loan at Belgian side Daring Brussels, formerly RWD Molenbeek. When he made the swap to Chelsea's sister club, he will have heard rumours of it resembling a waiting room where if players perform, they are prone to finding themselves being beamed up by the mothership over at Stamford Bridge. Andrey Santos has also joined Chelsea for the Club World Cup in the United States after the 21-year-old Brazilian impressed enough on loan under Rosenior. Both Santos and Sarr are expected to debut either in Friday's game versus Brazilian side Flamengo or the following one with Tunisian outfit ES Tunis. But Sarr insists his old side are much more than a mere feeder club, saying: 'I joined Strasbourg to play for Strasbourg. I knew of some interest (from Chelsea) approximately in November, December. Then in January I had an idea that it was possible. When one of the biggest clubs come to you, it is so exciting. 'For me, I have to progress. He (Santos) is a very good guy, a very good player. Everyone knows he's like a brother for me. We talked a lot about Chelsea last year. Now we are here and we have to work to get better.' What did Chelsea say to him in their project pitch? 'To progress,' he continues. 'To work hard, work hard, work hard. When they think you are ready to play, you can. It's very important to me – to train very well, to speak with the coach, to speak with every player, and to be confident in what I do.' Paris Saint-Germain are the favourites to win the Club World Cup, and they are a side that Sarr knows well after facing them home and away in Ligue 1 last season for Strasbourg, losing 4-2 at the Parc des Princes but winning 2-1 at the Stade de la Meinau before Strasbourg secured European qualification. He sees similarities between PSG and Chelsea, not least in the average ages of their line-ups. 'Yes, yes, yes,' he says upon mention of the Parisians. 'I played them twice last year. They are a very good team. Chelsea are a very good team. They are like PSG. We can compete with them. I think Chelsea can beat PSG. 'It (the Club World Cup) is very important. Every club wants to show that they are the best team in the world. Chelsea want to be the best team in the world so we want to win.' Some critics will say Chelsea's youngsters cannot win trophies bigger than the Conference League, and Sarr insists that talk is hogwash: 'It's not true. PSG won the Champions League. Chelsea can win.' With his help, he hopes. Before Van Dijk agreed his new contract with Liverpool in April, Chelsea were linked with nabbing the defender on a free transfer. Now they have Sarr, who is itching to show why he can be the VVD of CFC instead.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Countdown BEGINS for Liverpool starter to join Real Madrid
Liverpool lost Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid at the end of the 2024/25 season. Although the England international's contract was due to expire on June 30, Madrid opted to pay around £8.4m in order for him to be released early. It means Xabi Alonso has got Trent available for the FIFA Club World Cup - and Liverpool managed to bank an unexpected fee for the 26-year-old. Advertisement He did however run down in contract in the expectation of earning a high-paying free transfer to the Bernabeu. And that is a situation that is playing out time and again in the offices of the 15-time European champions. In recent seasons we've seen Kylian Mbappe, David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger run down their deals and move to Madrid on a free. It is something, according to a new report on Marca, that other teams around Europe have come to fear. And it's a situation that threatens to be repeated next summer when Ibrahima Konate's contract runs out. Liverpool FEAR Madrid Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are both known to be keen on adding the 26-year-old. Having signed for Liverpool back in 2021 from RB Leipzig, Konate has now moved into the final 12 months of his deal. Advertisement The Spanish report now claims that Konate has already started his 'countdown' for a Madrid move next summer. 'Teams fear Real Madrid,' the report reads. 'They know that if they cross paths with those players who don't renew their contracts in their final year, either their future will become more expensive or they'll end up leaving. 'Liverpool is moving in that direction with the future of Konaté, a center-back who has already started the countdown on his contract and has rejected the renewal offered at Anfield. 'Liverpool's directors are already sensing another deal similar to the one witnessed this season with Alexander Arnold, whose departure from the English club in exchange for zero euros had the Club World Cup not taken place.' © IMAGO Should Liverpool sell Konate? It leaves sporting director Richard Hughes in a difficult situation.- a sizeable increase on his current £140k per week pay packet. Advertisement But without a renewal, Liverpool are practically guaranteed to lose him for free next summer. So would Liverpool consider a sale in this transfer window? PSG, as reported by Anfieldwatch, have made a pretty attractive offer to the France international. The European champions plan to move on from veteran Marquinhos soon and are reported to see Konate as the ideal successor. It remains to be seen how this situation plays out over the summer.
