Liverpool prepare four-player shortlist to replace Ibrahima Konate including Premier League star

Liverpool have reportedly put together a four-player shortlist of candidates to replace Ibrahima Konaté following his move to Real Madrid.

After an eventful couple of weeks at Anfield, things don’t appear to be slowing down, with a number of departures already being confirmed.

Mohamed Salah’s contract is set to expire at the end of this month, as is Andrew Robertson’s deal, with the Scotland international already confirming his move to Spurs.

Curtis Jones, Federico Chiesa and youngster Rio Ngumoha have been linked with moves abroad, with suggestions surfacing regarding Cody Gakpo potentially being part of a swap deal for RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande.

Meanwhile, Arne Slot was sacked on May 30, with former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola confirmed as his replacement.

But that’s not all, as centre-back Konaté has also confirmed his exit and is expected to be announced as a Real Madrid player in the coming days.

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The France international’s exit leaves a huge void in the centre of Liverpool’s defence, with Caught Offside reporting the club have compiled a four-man shortlist of replacements.

Liverpool compile four-player shortlist

The outlet claims a left-footed option remains a possibility, with Liverpool strongly linked with Sporting CP defender Goncalo Inacio, with Iraola seeing the 24-year-old Portuguese international as an ideal recruit due to his ability on the ball and aggression in the tackle.

Liverpool are also linked with Napoli and Netherlands centre-back Sam Beukema, although the 27-year-old is not thought to be Liverpool’s premier target at this stage.

Like Inacio, he would fit into Iraola’s intense playing style and is composed in possession but provides a totally different profile to the physical Konaté.

The Reds are also interested in Luka Vuskovic after the Spurs defender impressed during his season-long loan spell at Bundesliga side Hamburg last term.

The Croatia international featured 30 times during his stint in Germany, registering six goals and one assist.

Vuskovic has yet to make a first-team appearance for Tottenham despite arriving from Hajduk Split last summer.

The final name on the four-man shortlist is Nottingham Forest’s Murillo, with his Premier League experience, strength and the fact he is left-sided thought to be appealing to the Merseyside club.

The 23-year-old Brazil international joined Forest from Corinthians in 2023 and has since featured 114 times for the East Midlands club.

Liverpool have also been linked with several players Iraola worked with at Bournemouth, as Alex Scott, Rayan, Eli Junior Kroupi and Adrien Truffert have all been mooted as potential targets. The transfer window opens on June 15.