Liverpool identify Ibrahima Konate replacement as five Premier League teams keen on World Cup star

Liverpool have reportedly registered their interest in a World Cup defender who could partner Virgil van Dijk in the centre of Andoni Iraola’s defence.

The summer has already been a busy one for Liverpool following the sacking of Arne Slot and the appointment of Iraola.

And due to Iraola’s association with his former club Bournemouth, as expected, several Cherries players have been linked with potential transfers, including Alex Scott, Rayan, Adrien Truffert and Eli Junior Kroupi.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have also been linked with former defender Jarell Quansah, with reports suggesting he has already agreed terms on a return after just one season in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen.

Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa and Curtis Jones have been linked with potential moves away from the club, while Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté’s exits have already been confirmed.

READ MORE: Liverpool make transfer u-turn after 'agreeing personal terms' with Premier League star

Konaté, who is expected to join Real Madrid this summer, was a senior figure in the dressing room and explained how he “didn’t know” he had played his final game for the club against Brentford on May 24.

Konate will leave Liverpool when his contract expires this summer. Image credit: Getty

Liverpool will likely look to replace the France international despite Giovanni Leoni continuing his recovery from an ACL injury and the arrival of Jérémy Jacquet.

As reported by TeamTalk, Liverpool are among five Premier League clubs interested in South Korea international and FC Midtjylland defender Lee Han-beom.

The 23-year-old started his nation’s 2-1 victory over Czechia on June 14, with his progress being closely monitored by Liverpool, Leeds, Chelsea, Newcastle and Brighton.

Lee made his South Korea debut in 2025 and is among the first names on head coach Hong Myung-bo’s teamsheet.

The defender, who joined Midtjylland from FC Seoul in 2023, helped his club win the Danish Cup last season, scoring the only goal in the final against FC Copenhagen.

Lee has just 12 months remaining on his contract, which has alerted scouts around Europe, with Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Napoli, Monaco and Lyon also monitoring his progress.

Lee Han-beom snubs Liverpool when naming dream Premier League transfer

Despite interest from some of England’s biggest clubs, including Liverpool and Chelsea, the Korean admitted that a move to Manchester City would be his preferred destination when speaking to Flashscore in May.

"The team I want to play for the most is Manchester City. It is my favourite team, and I want to play under manager Pep Guardiola. It doesn't necessarily have to be the Premier League; my dream is to play in a big league like Germany."

When pressed on his toughest opponent, he added: "It's hard to pick just one person clearly, but Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White seems to be the most threatening. He isn't my designated striker, but seeing how hard my team-mates struggle to stop him, he seems like a very smart and tough player, so even if I were to mark him man-to-man, it would be very difficult."