Liverpool strengthen back line with Konate signing

London, May 28 (EFE).- Liverpool have strengthened their defense with the signing of Ibrahima Konaté from German club RB Leipzig.

The 22-year-old French under-21 international has signed a contract with Liverpool after they paid his 36 million pounds (40 million euros) clause to the German side.

“It’s a really exciting moment for me and my family and I am really looking forward to meeting my new teammates, the staff and getting started on this new chapter”, he said, according to a statement from the club.

His new manager, Juergen Klopp, said: “I’m really pleased we’ve been able to add a player of Ibrahima’s quality to our squad and he is someone I’ve admired for a long time, ever since I first became aware of his potential when he was at Sochaux”.

“In Ibrahima we are signing a player who will add to the quality we already have here. His physical attributes are very impressive; he is quick, he is very strong and he is dominant in the air.”

Konaté joins a Liverpool side that already has Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Nathaniel Phillips at center-back. However, injuries to the first three this season contributed to a disappointing campaign for the Reds, who have opted to strengthen the center of defense this summer.

Konaté joined RB Leipzig from Sochaux in 2017 and has struggled for starts this season due to injuries. He has made 21 appearances in all competitions for the German team. EFE

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