Liverpool to unleash new £86m centre-back partnership | OneFootball

Liverpool have been left devastated by the news that Ibrahima Konate will be leaving the club at the end of his contract.

The French defender, 27, has failed to come to terms over a new deal - with the outgoing Premier League champions’ offers falling well short of what the centre-back wanted.

It’s all the more frustrating as an agreement seemed to be in reach only few days ago - following on from Konate’s announcement that a new contract would soon be tied up.

But Konate - who signed for the Reds from RB Leipzig for £35m back in 2021 - is now set to walk out when his terms expire on June 30 2026.

Liverpool's new centre-back partnership

His departure will open up a space in the Liverpool lineup for a new centre-back to start alongside Virgil van Dijk.

The Dutchman - who is out of contract in 2027 - formed one of the best partnerships around with Konate during the 2024/25 Premier League title win.

But he will have to guide a new player through the rigours of next season - with the prospect of a rookie being entrusted with the position.

Jacquet and Leoni on the comeback trail

Liverpool will welcome back Giovanni Leoni to preseason training following his debilitating ACL injury while Jeremy Jacquet will also arrive.

The French defender was signed in the winter window with an agreement in place with Rennes to let him stay with his boyhood club for the rest of the 2025/26 season.

But disaster struck for the centre-back - who was injured only one week after completing a deal to join Liverpool. That blow ended his French Ligue 1 season - but Liverpool are set to welcome their £60m man in time for preseason.

That’s according to a new report in the Athletic which claims the Reds will have both Jacquet AND Leoni available for the preseason campaign.

“Incoming Liverpool defender Jeremy Jacquet is set to be fit for the start of pre-season training,” the report reads.

“Jacquet’s rehab programme following surgery is going to plan and he is expected to be available when the Liverpool squad reconvene at Kirkby in early July.

“Fellow Liverpool centre-back Giovanni Leoni is also on track to be available for the start of pre-season.

“Leoni, 19, who arrived in a £29m deal from Parma, is in the final stages of his rehab with head coach Arne Slot recently praising him for using the time out wisely to bulk up in the gym.”

Jacquet and Leoni to debut as a partnership in preseason

With Van Dijk at the FIFA World Cup with the Netherlands Liverpool going to be otherwise short of centre-back numbers for the opening weeks of preseason - at least until the soon-to-be 35-year-old comes back.

Joe Gomez - if he stays - is likely to be pressed into service at right-back again with Conor Bradley unsure of his return date and no timeline set for his comeback.

That means the club may well debut a new centre-back partnership in preseason with Leoni filling in alongside Jacquet.

There may well be a shortage of numbers right now - raising concerns among fans - but the Reds have got a plan for the future. Leoni cost £26m from Parma back in summer 2025 while Jacquet will cost around £60m once all add-ons have been factored in.

So even if Konate is leaving Richard Hughes has masterminded the construction of a new £86m centre-back partnership.