Bayern Munich make contact with Liverpool contract rebel

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Bayern Munich have opened talks with the agents of Liverpool center back Ibrahima Konate. The 26-year-old’s contract at Anfield expires in the summer, with no progress in negotiations for an extension.

The player has been linked heavily with a free transfer to Real Madrid in the summer, but Bild has reported that it is now the German giants who have initiated talks with the player’s representatives. Bayern have their own contract rebel in the form of defender Dayot Upamecano.

Like Konate, Upamecano is out of contract in the summer and talks over a fresh deal have stalled. Bayern are now preparing for life without their defender.

The futures of the two players are ultimately linked this summer, with some of the same interested parties monitoring both situations. Liverpool are interested in Upamecano should Konate move in the other direction, while the likes of Real Madrid and PSG continue to sniff around the situation of both players.

Liverpool are still holding out hope of landing their top target – Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi. Guehi was Liverpool’s long standing target over the summer and nearly joined the Reds on deadline day.

The move ultimately fell through but Liverpool continue to monitor the player’s situation.

Liverpool have begun the ground work for life without Konate. The Reds have reportedly started tracking Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck and Sporting’s Ousmane Diomande ahead of a potential summer move.

The Reds are seemingly resigned to lose out on both Guehi and Konate, with the former free to negotiate with foreign clubs as early as January. Bayern Munich are also believed to be interested in Schlotterbeck.

The Reds’ pursuit of defensive reinforcements is also hastened by the loss of summer signing Giovanni Leoni through injury. The young Italian was signed this summer to provide long term defensive cover, but suffered an ACL injury that will see him miss a large part of the season.

Nadji is a football writer with over 10 years of experience covering the Premier League. His work has been featured on Football Fancast, Arsenal-Mania, and Arsenal.com, where he has built a reputation for delivering sharp analysis, engaging storytelling, and in-depth coverage of the game.