Overview
- Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté has been withdrawn from France duty with a right quadriceps problem and returned to Merseyside for assessment, with club-linked reporting suggesting hope it is a minor issue before Manchester United.
- Centre-back depth is stretched after Giovanni Leoni’s season‑ending ACL injury and the summer sale of Jarell Quansah, leaving Virgil van Dijk, Konaté and Joe Gomez as the senior options.
- RB Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba is a leading target in reports, with a €90m release clause but widely cited guidance that a fee near €60m (around £52m) could be accepted, and strong rival interest from Premier League clubs and Real Madrid.
- Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano is also named by German outlets as a Liverpool candidate as his deal runs to 2026, though Bayern are working on an extension and Real Madrid are monitoring centre-backs for next summer.
- Marc Guéhi remains on Liverpool’s shortlist after a deadline‑day move collapsed, with fresh reports of Bayern and Real Madrid interest as the Crystal Palace captain approaches a potential free‑agency scenario if he does not renew.