Liverpool show ‘keen interest’ in favourite of Man Utd boss Amorim; he’s seen as the dream Konate replacement – report

Liverpool are reported to have identified Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande as their number one replacement for Ibrahima Konate if the Frenchman departs next summer – and a look at the stats of the player Ruben Amorim loves shows that the Reds could be signing a ‘monster’.

The France defender’s contract at Anfield expires in summer 2026 and efforts to tie him down to a new deal have so far failed to bear fruit. And while claims and counter-claims have been made over Konate’s Liverpool future, the Reds will have all too fresh in their minds of the similar saga that played out with Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Indeed, with Real Madrid also on Konate’s trail and this week reported to have launched ‘Operation Konate’ aimed at persuading him to move to the Bernabeu, Liverpool have, quite rightly, been scouring the market to ensure they are not caught on the hop.

And while Marc Guehi remains a top target for the club, reports in Spain claim they have now identified 21-year-old Sporting centre-half Diomande as an additional target, potentially alongside him, during the 2026 windows.

According to Fichajes, Liverpool want to sign Diomande as soon as the January window, having identified the player as their ‘principal target’ to replace Konate.

Labelling the 21-year-old as a key target for Arne Slot, it’s reported that Anfield chiefs see the Ivory Coast international as a ‘long-term solution thanks to his technique, physical ability and quick adaptation to the pace of Europe’s elite’.

Diomande previously thrived under the management of Ruben Amorim, with the now Manchester United boss hailing him as a “very talented player” who is “very physically strong” and can play with both feet.

While they don’t put a price on what a deal will cost, we have previously reported that it would take an offer of around €60m (£52m, $69m) to persuade them to cash in on a player, whose release clause is currently set at a whopping €80m (£69.5m, $92.8m).

And competition is understandably also tough. Crystal Palace looked at Diomande as a summer replacement for Guehi, were he to leave, while Chelsea are also reported to be on the player’s trail.

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‘Monster’ Diomande would be an elite signing for Liverpool

While Fichajes is not the most reliable of sources, and are infamous for far-fetched transfer speculation, there could be some legs in the Diomande to Liverpool claims, while our sources have previously noted Chelsea’s long-standing interest in acquiring the eight-times capped Ivory defender.

It’s also worth noting that Diomande, given his age and rising talent, is exactly the sort of player FSG and Michael Edwards have loved signing in the past: those of serious quality but not yet at a world-class standard.

Furthermore, former TEAMtalk features writer Ben Mattison, who now works at Serie A side Como as a first-team scout, has given Diomande a glowing reference in the past, describing the player on X as having the ability to ‘become a monster in no time’ and with his signing being ‘as big of a no-brainer as you can get’.

His qualities are also apparent for all to see and his qualities on the ball have also been noted by FBref who rank him in the top 2% of positional peers in Europe over the past year for pass completion rate, which stands at 93.2%, the top 7% for passes per 90 minutes (70.78) and the top 15% for shot-creating actions per game (1.24) – exactly what Slot would want to see from a ball-playing centre-half.

A closer look at Diomande’s stats over the last three seasons

Latest Liverpool news: Reds join hunt for red-hot Prem star; Guehi action plan

On the subject of Guehi, Liverpool are refusing to give up on trying to secure the signing of the Palace captain in 2026 and are ready to bring forward their plans to seal a deal in a bid to ward off ‘concrete interest’ from Bayern Munich – and with a former Crystal Palace manager now naming the club he expects the England defender to join.

If Liverpool are to return to their very best, they will need Mo Salah to return to form after a few low-key appearances lately.

On that note, we’ve taken a deep dive into the Egyptian’s struggles at Anfield in recent weeks, naming eight reasons behind his poor form under Slot right now. We’ve also asked if a 2026 sale could indeed be on the cards…

And finally, the Reds have their gaze firmly set on signing a £75m-rated Premier League star, second only to Erling Haaland right now, and with Richard Hughes offering the Premier League champions a significant transfer advantage over their rivals.