Four Ibrahima Konate replacements including one Liverpool can buy right now for £69m

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Ibrahima Konate looks set to depart Liverpool when his current deal expires, with no fresh terms having been agreed between the French centre-back and the club. Konate will become the latest Liverpool player to walk away for nothing - once again leaving the Reds scrambling for a replacement - following Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah through the exit door at Anfield this summer.

When you factor in Trent Alexander-Arnold's move to Real Madrid last year, Liverpool have recouped just £10million for four of their most influential players over the past five to 10 years. With top-quality centre-backs at a premium, the Reds will surely now be forced to dip into the market to find a successor for the man who has primarily partnered Virgil van Dijk at the heart of their defence since 2021.

With that in mind, here's four candidates who could be on the radar of Richard Hughes and Liverpool's recruitment team.

Brighton's Jan Paul van Hecke ticks several boxes and has already been linked with a move to Liverpool through reports in his native country via publication Voetbal International . The Dutch centre-back has featured in both a back three and a back four at Brighton , providing tactical versatility that could prove invaluable as Liverpool continue to search for a system that best suits the costly batch of new arrivals who came through the door last summer.

Van Hecke is a calm, ball-playing centre-half who is well-versed in operating within a possession-oriented system, and has chipped in with three goals and three assists in the Premier League this campaign. His record for winning fouls matches that of Konate - one of the Frenchman's key strengths - having been fouled 1.21 times per 90 in the league this term, compared to Konate's 1.19, further demonstrating his ability to thrive against a high press.

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Defensively, Van Hecke is relatively proactive, ranking in the 72nd percentile of Premier League centre-backs for interceptions per 90 (1.32). Despite measuring 6'3", he is not quite as commanding aerially as Konate, but alongside Van Dijk and with imposing young defender Jeremy Jacquet due to link up for pre-season, he should still fit in well with Liverpool's current options.

Battling for selection with the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Stefan de Vrij, Van Hecke has earned just 10 caps for the Netherlands thus far but has been included in the Dutch World Cup squad ahead of those two competitors for his position and is expected to fulfil a significant role alongside Van Dijk in North America.

This existing rapport is an advantage for Van Hecke and makes him a natural contender to succeed Konate, though his World Cup commitments mean Liverpool would need to either move swiftly or hold off until later in the summer to initiate discussions. Van Hecke will enter the final 12 months of his Brighton deal this summer, potentially easing negotiations, though it also means rival suitors are keeping close tabs on his availability.

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Tottenham have been connected with Van Hecke in recent weeks as Roberto De Zerbi seeks to reshape his squad. Chelsea are also understood to hold an interest, with Brighton anticipated to seek around £50m for his signature.

Something of an FPL favourite during his Crystal Palace days a couple of seasons back, Andersen - now plying his trade at Fulham - is a dominant presence in the air who excels in interceptions and clearances while remaining assured in possession - though perhaps not quite as forward-thinking as Van Hecke.

A contrasting profile to the Dutchman, Andersen's qualities would nonetheless help to compensate for Konate's alternative strengths - and given his wealth of experience, could prove a more astute acquisition in an increasingly physical Premier League. Standing just a centimetre shorter than Van Hecke, Andersen has amassed six years of Premier League pedigree and 49 caps for Denmark.

He sits within the top 10% of Premier League centre-backs for touches and aerial duels won, with his differing skill set also indicating he could deputise for Van Dijk, affording the Liverpool skipper greater chances for essential rest having clocked up more minutes than any other 34-year-old this campaign.

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He arrived at Fulham for £30m two years ago and would undoubtedly be the most affordable option on this list. At 29, Andersen would provide Liverpool with a solid, dependable presence at the back without hindering the development pathway for Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni.

Jacquet is among several players whose underlying data most closely resembles Konate's profile, so it is entirely plausible that Liverpool seek a temporary solution or even place their faith in their existing options rather than pursuing a like-for-like replacement. Should they opt for the former approach, there are few more suitable candidates than Andersen.

As peculiar as it might seem for Jarell Quansah to return to Liverpool just a year after his £35million move to Bayer Leverkusen , the market is hardly abundant with top-quality, right-sided centre-backs within the age bracket Liverpool typically target.

The outcome of the Konate situation makes the choice to let Quansah depart all the more puzzling in retrospect, considering the Liverpool academy graduate demonstrated tremendous promise and maturity well beyond his years - although his self-belief appeared fragile at times during Slot's debut campaign, particularly after the Dutchman - who was sacked by the Reds on Saturday - substituted him at the interval in his opening match as manager.

At Leverkusen, however, Quansah has re-established himself among Europe's finest young defenders, earning a call-up to represent England at the World Cup this summer. Quansah will require no introduction to those who saw him line up alongside Van Dijk during Jurgen Klopp's final campaign in charge, but he has continued to develop impressively since.

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The Warrington-born defender was dribbled past on just two occasions in the Bundesliga throughout the entire season, and with a 90.3% pass completion rate and 0.55 successful dribbles per 90, has demonstrated growing confidence and composure in possession. The primary obstacle would be Quansah's valuation.

The Reds included a multi-tiered buy-back clause in the agreement that took Quansah to Leverkusen, and even pre-agreed contractual terms, which means he could be brought back this summer for £69.4million. However, German outlet BILD have indicated that any Liverpool return for Quansah would be more probable next year, when that buy-back clause will fall to £52million.

Another season at Leverkusen would probably benefit Quansah's progression, given his improvement this term, but the original sale of arguably the finest pure defensive talent the Liverpool academy has nurtured since Jamie Carragher now certainly appears a peculiar decision.

Bastoni is undoubtedly the sort of name to generate excitement amongst supporters , but he arguably wouldn't represent the ideal profile to replace Konate. More of a potential long-term Van Dijk replacement, Bastoni is left-footed and capable of operating at left-back too, which would at least help offset Robertson's departure and the questions surrounding Kostas Tsimikas' form while Milos Kerkez continues his development in that position.

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Bastoni's standing in the game, though, would almost certainly guarantee him a starting berth centrally, probably requiring Van Dijk to move across to the right side of the centre-back partnership. The Italian is exceptional both in and out of possession, featuring among the top 10% of Serie A centre-backs for assists, completed passes and precise long balls, and within the top 5% for big chances created, total touches and xG conceded while on the pitch.

At one stage this year, an exit seemed more probable than ever following the criticism Bastoni faced for his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which triggered the Italian national side's downfall and elimination from World Cup qualification.

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