2025-09-29 16:22:43
It has been claimed that Liverpool would be “prepared to let” one key player “leave” the Premier League giants at some point in 2026.
Liverpool suffered their first defeat of the 2025/26 season on Saturday afternoon, losing 2-1 at Selhurst Park against Crystal Palace.
In previous games, the Reds had been reliant on late goals to paper over the cracks, as they are yet to hit their stride this season and were deservedly beaten by Crystal Palace.
Still, there is no need for panic at Anfield as they are top of the Premier League after six games and two points clear of title rivals Arsenal.
A few of Liverpool’s key players are not performing at their peak, with Ibrahima Konate having struggled and deservedly been criticised.
READ: Premier League winners and losers: Arsenal, Amorim, Palace, Forest, Sunderland, Maresca, Buendia
Last season, Konate shone alongside captain Virgil van Dijk but has declined at the start of this campaign amid reports linking him with a move elsewhere.
Konate is among the most valuable footballers who could become a free agent in 2026 and is attracting interest from La Liga giants Real Madrid.
With Konate, Liverpool face a repeat of the Trent Alexander-Arnold situation, though former Premier League chief scout Mick Brown – who remains ‘very well-connected within the game’ – has told Football Insider that Liverpool are more open to letting the centre-back leave next year.
Brown believes Liverpool would be “prepared” to offload Konate in January if they “can replace him”, with two winter deals “expected”.
“I’m told Liverpool are prepared for Konate to leave,” Brown told Football Insider.
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“They’ll need to bring in a replacement of course, because they don’t want to be left short at the back, but if they can replace him they’re happy to let him go.
“That was made evident with their efforts to sign Marc Guehi in the summer, they wanted him to come in as the new partner for Van Dijk.
“Obviously they weren’t able to get Guehi in, so Konate is still a very important player for them, and they can’t afford for him to keep making mistakes.
“I expect the manager was raging at him after that performance against Palace because he was miles off it, and that’s not what they need.
“If they want to compete challenging for the league title and other trophies, every single player has to be consistent, and that’s exactly the issue they have with Konate.
“They needed a striker, they spent £125million on Isak, they wanted a midfielder, they spent £110million on Wirtz, now they want a centre-back.
“I expect when the January window opens they’ll be making efforts to bring somebody in, and that will allow them to let Konate move on, probably to Real Madrid.”
