Liverpool is set to enter the market to sign a new center-back during this summer's transfer window, and the Reds are being linked with a move for a Bournemouth star
Liverpool could hijack Tottenham's move for Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi if Ibrahima Konate departs on a free transfer this summer, according to reports.
Senesi is set to become one of the most in-demand free agents on the market this summer when his contract at Bournemouth expires at the end of June. The 28-year-old Argentinean is having an excellent season for Bournemouth, prompting interest from bigger clubs.
Tottenham is leading the race to sign Senesi, although Spurs' prospects of signing Senesi will obviously vanish if the club suffers relegation to the Championship. talkSPORT says that Senesi has already verbally agreed to move to Tottenham, but that Liverpool is also considering moving for the Cherries star.
It is suggested that Liverpool's move for Senesi could hinge on whether French international Konate signs a new contract at Liverpool.
Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes was the technical director at Bournemouth when the South Coast club signed Senesi in 2022.
Liverpool is in the midst of a defensive overhaul, with Konate out of contract at the end of the season, and it is still unclear whether the Frenchman will agree to an extension at Anfield.
Jarell Quansah was also sold last summer, while Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk are both approaching the final 12 months of their deals.
After last month's Merseyside derby, Konate hinted that he was close to renewing his contract at Liverpool. Konate said: “There is a big chance I’m here next season. This is what I always wanted.
"I’m waiting to sort the contract but when everything is sorted you will have to ask Richard [Hughes, Liverpool’s sporting director] what I said to him in September, November and he’s going to say something to make everyone quiet.”
The Guardian then reported over the following couple of days that Konate had informed Liverpool last year that he wanted to stay at the club, but there has not been much to suggest that there have been any further developments in talks since then.
Liverpool signed Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet during the last two transfer windows, with the club taking steps to prepare the squad for the long term in that area of the field.
Leoni has been missing since September after sustaining a serious knee injury during his Liverpool debut, while Jacquet's season was also ended early by a shoulder injury.