Liverpool have been left devastated by the news that Ibrahima Konate will be leaving the club at the end of his contract.
The French defender, 27, has failed to come to terms over a new deal, with the outgoing Premier League champions’ offers falling well short of what the centre-back wanted. It is all the more frustrating as an agreement seemed to be in reach only a few days ago, following Konate’s own announcement that a new contract would soon be tied up.
Signed from RB Leipzig for £35m in 2021, Konate is now set to walk out when his terms expire on June 30, 2026, bringing an end to a successful spell at Anfield where he formed one of the Premier League’s most formidable defensive partnerships alongside Virgil van Dijk.
Liverpool’s New Centre-Back Partnership
Konate’s departure will open up a significant space in the Liverpool lineup, with a new centre-back expected to start alongside Virgil van Dijk next season. The Dutchman, who remains under contract until 2027, was instrumental in the Reds’ 2024/25 Premier League title triumph. However, he will now have to guide a new partner through the intense demands of Premier League football.
While concerns have naturally arisen among fans regarding defensive depth, Liverpool appear to have a clear long-term plan already in motion.
Jacquet and Leoni on the Comeback Trail
The club is set to welcome back two promising centre-backs for pre-season training: Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni.
French defender Jeremy Jacquet, signed in the winter window with an agreement to stay at Rennes for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, suffered a serious ACL injury just one week after finalising his move to Liverpool. That setback ended his Ligue 1 campaign prematurely. However, according to a report in The Athletic, his rehabilitation is progressing well, and he is expected to be available when the Liverpool squad reconvenes at Kirkby in early July.
Fellow centre-back Giovanni Leoni, who arrived in a £29m deal from Parma, is also on track for pre-season. The 19-year-old is in the final stages of his own rehabilitation, with head coach Arne Slot recently praising him for using the time out wisely to bulk up in the gym.
Jacquet and Leoni to Debut as a Partnership in Pre-Season
With Virgil van Dijk away at the FIFA World Cup with the Netherlands, Liverpool will be short of senior centre-back options during the opening weeks of pre-season. Joe Gomez, if he remains at the club, is likely to be deployed at right-back, while Conor Bradley’s return date remains uncertain.
This situation creates the distinct possibility that Liverpool will debut a new centre-back partnership during pre-season, with Leoni and Jacquet lining up together.
There may currently be a shortage of numbers at the position, but Richard Hughes has masterminded the construction of a new £86m centre-back partnership for the future. Leoni cost £26m (rising to £29m) from Parma in the summer of 2025, while Jacquet will ultimately cost around £60m once all add-ons are factored in.
Once both players receive full medical sign-off, fans could soon witness the first glimpses of this exciting young duo in action. As the Premier League prepares for another intense campaign, Liverpool’s surprise defensive rebuild may yet prove to be one of the most astute — and potentially devastating — moves of the summer.
