Who Liverpool could target to replace Ibrahima Konate with defender set to leave for free

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Liverpool and Konate could not agree on contract terms so the Reds must now look to the market with the Frenchman set to leaveIbrahima Konate is set to leave Liverpool on the expiration of his current contract, with no agreement having been reached between player and club for the renewal of the French centre-back's terms.Konate will become the latest Liverpool player to leave for nothing - once again leaving the Reds short when seeking a replacement - following Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah out of the door at Anfield this summer.When factoring in the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid last year, Liverpool have recouped just £10million for four of their most important players over the last five to 10 years.With top-quality centre-backs at a premium, the Reds will nevertheless surely now have to look to the market to replace the man who has partnered Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence since 2021.With that in mind, we picked out four options who could now be candidates for Richard Hughes, Arne Slot and Liverpool's recruitment team.Jan Paul van Hecke - BrightonBrighton's Jan Paul van Hecke fits the bill in a number of ways and has already been linked with Liverpool from reports in his home country via publication Voetbal International.The Dutch centre-back has played in both a back three and a back four at Brighton, offering tactical flexibility that could prove to be invaluable as Liverpool continue to seek a system that fits the expensive crop of new signings that arrived last summer.Van Hecke is a composed, ball-playing defender well-accustomed to playing in a possession-based side, and has popped up with three goals and three assists in the Premier League this season.He has a comparable record of drawing fouls to Konate - one of the Frenchman's strongest attributes - having been fouled 1.21 times per 90 in the league this season, compared to Konate's 1.19, further showing his suitability for playing against a high press.Off-the-ball, van Hecke is relatively front-footed, being in the 72nd percentile of Premier League centre-backs for interceptions per 90 (1.32).Despite standing 6'3", he is not quite as dominant in the air as Konate, but alongside Van Dijk and with imposing young defender Jeremy Jacquet set to join up for pre-season, he should still complement Liverpool's existing options well.Facing competition from the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Stefan de Vrij, van Hecke has only earned 10 caps for the Netherlands so far but has been called up for the Dutch World Cup squad ahead of those two rivals for his position and can be expected to play an important role alongside van Dijk in North America.This familiarity is a boon for van Hecke and makes him an obvious candidate to replace Konate, though his World Cup involvement means Liverpool would either need to strike quickly or wait until later in the summer to open talks.Van Hecke will enter the final year of his contract at Brighton this summer, potentially making a deal easier, but also meaning other clubs are also attentive to his situation.Tottenham have been linked with van Hecke in recent weeks as Roberto De Zerbi looks to rebuild his side. Chelsea are also said to be interested, with Brighton expected to demand around £50million for his sale.Joachim Andersen - FulhamSomething of an FPL hero at Crystal Palace a couple of years ago, Andersen - now at Fulham - is an aerially-dominant centre-back who ranks highly for interceptions and clearances while still being comfortable on the ball - if not quite as progressive as van Hecke.A different kind of profile to the Dutchman, Andersen's attributes would nevertheless help to replace Konate's other strengths - and with his experience to boot, would possibly be a shrewder addition in an ever-more-physical Premier League.Just a centimetre shorter than van Hecke, Andersen has racked up six years' worth of experience in the Premier League and 49 caps for Denmark.He is in the top 10% of Premier League centre-backs for touches and aerial duels won, with his contrasting profile also meaning he could fill in for van Dijk, giving the Liverpool captain more opportunities for much-needed rest after playing more minutes than any other 34-year-old this season.He joined Fulham for £30million two years ago and would undoubtedly represent the cheapest option on this list.

At 29, Andersen would give Liverpool a solid, reliable presence in the backline without blocking the path for Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni.Jacquet is one of a number of players who profile most closely to Konate in the underlying data, so it is entirely possible that Liverpool look for a stop-gap or even trust in their current options rather than looking for a direct replacement.If they choose the former, there are few better-qualified candidates than Andersen.Jarell Quansah - Bayer LeverkusenAs strange as it would be for Jarell Quansah to make his Liverpool return just a year after joining Bayer Leverkusen for £35million, the market is not exactly ripe with quality, right-sided centre-backs in the age range Liverpool tend to shop in.The conclusion of the Konate saga makes the decision to allow Quansah to leave all the more confounding in hindsight, given the Liverpool academy prospect showed great promise and maturity beyond his years - though his confidence at times looked shot during Slot's first season, after the Dutchman hooked him at half time in his first game in charge.At Leverkusen, though, Quansah has re-established himself as one of the most outstanding young defenders in Europe, and has been called up to represent England at the World Cup this summer.Quansah will need no introduction to those who watched him partner van Dijk during Jurgen Klopp's last season at the helm, but he has since gone from strength to strength.The Warrington native was only dribbled past twice in the Bundesliga over the course of the entire season, and with a 90.3% pass completion rate and 0.55 successful dribbles per 90, has grown in confidence and efficiency on the ball.The main sticking point would be Quansah's price. The Reds inserted a multi-tiered buy-back clause into the deal that sent Quansah to Leverkusen, and even pre-negotiated contract terms, which means he could be resigned this summer for £69.4million.However, German publication BILD have suggested that any Liverpool return for Quansah would be more likely to occur next year, when that buy-back clause will drop to £52million.Another year at Leverkusen would likely serve Quansah's development well, given his progress this year, but the initial sale of arguably the best pure defensive prospect the Liverpool academy has produced since Jamie Carragher now certainly looks a bizarre one.Alessandro Bastoni - InternazionaleBastoni is certainly the kind of name to get fans excited, but he arguably wouldn't be the ideal profile to replace Konate.More of a mooted long-term van Dijk successor, Bastoni is left-footed and can also play at left-back, which would at least help to mitigate the loss of Robertson and the uncertainty around Kostas Tsimikas' levels while Milos Kerkez continues to develop in the role.Bastoni's status in the game, however, would surely make him a first-choice starter centrally, likely meaning van Dijk would have to shift over to the right-hand side of the centre-back pairing.The Italian is sensational on and off the ball, ranking in the top 10% of Serie A centre-backs for assists, successful passes and accurate long balls, and the top 5% for big chances created, overall touches and xG conceded while on the pitch.At one point this year, a departure looked more likely than ever after the abuse Bastoni received for his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which precipitated the Italian national team's collapse and elimination from World Cup qualification.However, despite reports of interest from Barcelona, Inter president Giuseppe Marotta recently told DAZN (via Goal) that Bastoni "has absolutely not expressed his desire to leave" and once again looks set to stay put in Milan for another season.If there is any chance of coaxing him away from the club he joined nine years ago, however, Liverpool should absolutely be putting themselves in the conversation.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!

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