Liverpool are frontrunners for huge upgrade deal for £50m ‘beast’ Konate

It has been a frustrating season for a Liverpool side who started with hopes and expectations of retaining their hard-won Premier League title.

However, coach Arne Slott’s team is a shell of itself, losing nine out of 12 games in all competitions this fall.

In any case, Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table remains firm for Liverpool. However, this team is still full of elite talent and is very keen on pursuing glory in the FA Cup and Champions League.

However, the Reds are undoubtedly vulnerable defensively and will need to sort that out before the end of the January transfer window.

How do Liverpool plan to fix their defence?

Marc Guehi remains a top target, but FSG are understandably reluctant to meet Crystal Palace’s £35m valuation for a player who is only a few months away from free agency.

With a number of top teams also keen on the Three Lions centre-back, sporting director Richard Hughes has named a replacement.

After all, Liverpool’s problems at the back are compounded by Ibrahima Konate’s likely departure on a free agent at the end of the season.

However, according to TEAMtalk, Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck has attracted the attention of the Reds, who have received a significant backing in their pursuit.

Worth around £50m, the German has also been targeted by Real Madrid, but with Los Blancos cooling interest, the Anfield club could be said to have emerged as the new front-runner.

How will Schlotterbeck fit into Liverpool?

With Giovanni Leoni out with a long-term knee injury, Konate set to leave and skipper Virgil van Dijk turning 35 at the end of the season, Liverpool’s backline will need to be re-installed with elite new members.

Schlotterbeck, 26, is currently one of the most dynamic centre-halves in the game and has been hailed as an “absolute beast” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, with his impressive combination of physicality, technique and defensive strength.

If Liverpool lose Konate on a free transfer this summer, their defensive depth in the slot will take a hit. But given the Frenchman’s series of disastrous blunders throughout the season, if Liverpool act now, perhaps the Dortmund star could prove a quick upgrade and even find himself out of the squad for the coming months.

Konate was criticized by analyst Raj Chauhan earlier this season for his “terrible” build-up play. Liverpool have felt the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Konate more than anyone this season.

Curtis Jones is tasked with adding depth to Liverpool’s backline by drifting back at the start of the forward movement.

Schotterbeck solves that tactical conundrum and fills the hole earmarked for Guehi at Palace, but could instead be suited to the German’s ability on the ball.

The defender has honed his skills in his home country over the past few years and will add a different flavor to Liverpool’s backline. He is also left-handed, so he could potentially replace Van Dijk when the day comes.

According to Sofascore, he has won 72% of his ground battles in the Bundesliga this term and has also been able to avoid a single mistake that would have led to a shot or a goal. This is in stark contrast to Konate in the Premier League, who has committed four such errors in 21 games.

Guehi is certainly the more desirable signing for Liverpool this year, but Schlotterbeck is also such a player. The English game doesn’t know about him yet, but they will if he joins the team in the slot this year.

He is riding a bigger wave than Konate and is more tactically in tune with the way Slott wants to play. But moreover, Schlotterbeck could be the perfect Guehi replacement for Liverpool.