By 90min | Created at 2024-11-21 12:16:02 | Updated at 2024-11-21 16:20:10
4 hours ago
Paris FC's prospective owner Antoine Arnault has revealed that he is interested in a potential move for Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate, who came through the club's academy.
Arnault is the representative of Agache, the giant French holding company owned by the nation's richest family which is on the cusp of finalising the purchase of Paris FC. Red Bull are also expected to acquire a minority share in the second-tier club, who have been tipped to challenge the established French elite in the coming years.
In a wide-ranging interview with RMC Sport this week, Arnault was quizzed on a possible move for Konate further down the line.
"The idea is to train young people, then, if a former member trained at the club wants to come and form the backbone of the club, why not," he said.
"It is a possibility, but not the basic strategy of the group."
Ibrahima Konate captained France in November / Alessandro Sabattini/GettyImages
Paris-born Konate spent five years at the capital club before moving to Sochaux's youth setup shortly after his 15th birthday. The towering centre-back, who has established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League this season, had four years at RB Leipzig before moving to Liverpool in 2021.
Jurgen Klopp was in charge of the Reds when Konate arrived on Merseyside and has controversially been appointed as a global advisor for all Red Bull clubs - an umbrella which Paris FC will soon fall under.
This is not the first time that Konate has been linked with a return to his home city. The 25-year-old remained open to a move to Paris Saint-Germain when quizzed on the subject last year, but provided a firmer negative response over the summer.
Liverpool will be reluctant to let Konate go just as he is enjoying the best form of his career on Merseyside. Since replacing Jarell Quansah at half-time on the opening weekend of the season, the French international has started every Premier League match under Arne Slot. Konate captained his nation during this month's international break and has been a key factor behind Liverpool's run to the Premier League summit.
