Liverpool have FOUND the next Ibrahima Konate

Liverpool need to think about a successor to Ibrahima Konate. It seems they've found the next one.

Ibrahima Konate’s contract expires at the end of the season. He’ll leave the Reds without a transfer fee as things stand but there’s no question that Liverpool are working to renew his deal.

Whether that happens or not is anyone’s guess right now. Konate can formally discuss terms with non-English clubs from January 1st, which feels dangerously close right now.

Of course, the situation was supposed to have been eased with Marc Guehi’s arrival but that deal collapsed right at the the climax of the summer transfer window. Liverpool are left needing to find someone to replace Konate as a starting centre-back.

Again, as things stand.

But they might have found the right player already. Liverpool essentially want a Konate mk.II and there’s one playing in the Premier League right now.

Liverpool eye Murillo

Liverpool have consistently been linked with Nottingham Forest start Murillo since the start of the year. He had a bit of a breakout campaign in 2024/25 as Forest challenged for the European spots, of course.

Rousing the Kop reported just this week that the interest is still there from Liverpool. It makes sense to us.

Finding a 'new' Konate doesn't necessarily mean finding someone who can put up his performances right now. It's more about finding the player he was at RB Leipzig that inspired Liverpool to sign him for an immediate place in their defence.

Murillo ticks a lot of the same boxes, beginning with the fact he's only just turned 23. This is a young player, albeit one with two full seasons of Premier League football behind him.

Passing, for instance, is a key one. Konate was averaging around 90 per cent completion for short passes at Leipzig. Murillo is similar at Forest, though has seen a massive uptick this season under Ange Postecoglu.

Their numbers translate to medium passes in both instances, too - exactly what Liverpool want to see as a team looking to reliably play out from the back. Again for touches, both pre-LFC Konate and Murillo at Forest are around the 50 to 65 per 90.

Konate had a big jump in his numbers after moving to Liverpool. It would suggest, given their similar numbers, that Murillo could do the same.

Murillo again looks like a pre-LFC Konate with his number of recoveries. Both players boast between four and five per 90 minutes, while their aerial numbers are similar, too.

The Forest stat won around 65 per cent last season, which has become 75 per cent in this campaign. Those are same numbers in Konate's two pre-injury seasons with Leipzig.

So you're looking at a player who profiles very closely to how Konate did before moving to Liverpool. But with the added bonus of already adapting to the Premier League.

Forest's implosion this season makes it a particularly interesting one, too. They'll be far more inclined to sell if they miss out on European football than they were this summer, for instance.

One to watch, then, as Murillo might be exactly what Liverpool are looking for.

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