Liverpool have suffered another major setback just days after new signing Giovanni Leoni endured a serious injury in his debut appearance.
The 18-year-old centre-back, who arrived from Parma last month in a £26 million move, made his first outing for the club in the Carabao Cup third-round tie against Southampton. But what should have been a memorable night turned sour when he was forced off in the 81st minute with a suspected ACL injury — an issue likely to sideline him for the remainder of the campaign.
To make matters worse, transfer expert David Ornstein has raised fresh concerns with his latest update. With Leoni now out long-term, Liverpool are left short of defensive options, relying only on Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and Joe Gomez as senior centre-backs.
During the summer, the Reds were heavily linked with Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi, though that move collapsed late on deadline day. Now, fears are growing among supporters that Konate himself could soon depart, following Ornstein’s confirmation that Arsenal star William Saliba is close to signing a new deal until 2030.
Both Konate and Saliba have been targets for Real Madrid, who are seeking a marquee defender ahead of next summer, with Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba’s contracts expiring in 2026. The Spanish giants also view young talent Dean Huijsen, signed from Bournemouth, as part of their future defensive plans.
While Madrid’s pursuit of Saliba seems set to fail, speculation has only intensified that Konate could be the one to move, particularly as talks over a new Liverpool deal appear to have stalled. Fabrizio Romano revealed on his Here We Go podcast that negotiations are proving difficult, with no agreement in sight, though Konate’s contract does run until 2026.
Romano added that Madrid are closely monitoring developments, and Spanish outlet Marca has described their interest in Konate as “an open secret.”
