Not Guehi: Ex-Liverpool striker urges Reds to consider audacious move for Premier League defender

Ex-Liverpool striker Stan Collymore has urged the Merseysiders to consider an audacious swap deal involving another of his former clubs.

Ibrahima Konate is facing a career crossroads now that he’s into the final six months of his contract at Anfield, with David Ornstein reporting on Tuesday that ‘there has been no breakthrough on new terms’ for the 26-year-old.

Meanwhile, the Reds continue to be strongly linked with Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, although there’s a growing danger that Manchester City could pounce for the England defender in this month’s transfer window.

Collymore urges Liverpool to consider Konate-Konsa swap deal

Collymore has claimed that Liverpool instead ought to pursue a potential swap deal involving the Frenchman and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa, believing that such an arrangement would be beneficial for all concerned.

The former Reds striker told BetWright (via The Mirror): “Liverpool must identify a replacement for Ibrahima Konate if he leaves, especially because I don’t think Virgil van Dijk will be far behind him. I know there’s been talk of Marc Guehi, but I’m looking at someone like Ezri Konsa, who’s probably going to start for England at the World Cup alongside John Stones.

“If I was head of recruitment at Liverpool, I think Konsa and Guehi would both be deals that provide good value for money. Aston Villa have PSR issues that they need to address, so if they were to get a big fee for Konsa, they might have to consider it.

“For me, Konate thinks he’s the best defender since sliced bread but hasn’t played like it recently. I’m sure he’s thinking he’ll be going to the likes of PSG or Real Madrid, but could there be a swap deal where Konsa goes to Liverpool and Konate goes to Aston Villa? That would be something that would work for both parties.”

Would Liverpool be likely to swap Konate for Konsa?

It’s not unknown for Liverpool to consider exchanging players with fellow Premier League clubs – two summers ago, the Reds had negotiated a deal with Newcastle which would’ve seen Joe Gomez and Anthony Gordon move in opposite directions, before the Tyneside club eased their PSR concerns with sales elsewhere (BBC Sport).

However, whether FSG and Villa would agree to a swap involving Konsa and Konate is another matter, considering that the two clubs are now direct positional rivals and the Englishman’s importance to Unai Emery’s side.

For all the praise which has been heaped on the 27-year-old and all the criticism that the Frenchman has copped this season, the latter has actually outperformed his Villa Park counterpart for numerous underlying metrics, as the figures from FBref illustrate below.

Liverpool might also have reservations about doing business with the Midlands club in light of Harvey Elliott’s woes, with the 22-year-old (who’s still technically a Reds player) being discarded by Emery and having no chance of seeing his loan move made permanent.

While theoretically Collymore’s suggestion is sound, realistically it seems highly unlikely to materialise, even if the Villans still have PSR issues to resolve. For the time being, Guehi remains the England centre-back who’s most likely to join Arne Slot’s squad.

You can watch Slot’s full post-Barnsley press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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