Chelsea are one of three teams who could try to sign Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate on a free transfer, according to reports in the French media.
The Team claim that the Blues, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are all weighing up moves for the France international.
Konate has failed to agree a new contract with Liverpool, and he will leave Anfield on June 30th as things stand.
Some Chelsea supporters on X believe recruiting the 27-year-old on a free is a no-brainer, but others have their doubts about his defensive capabilities:
We should be all over this, injury prone or not it’s a free transfer there’s virtually zero risk
— Aydin2oo (@Iagree42529957) May 28, 2026
his performance has been bang average this season .
— marwan (@MarwanAlAmoodi) May 28, 2026
Its unfortunate but I don’t see us doing this lol
— Lord 🇳🇬 (@MobyChe) May 28, 2026
Cowil and Konate partnership won’t be a bad idea.
But will Chelsea able to meet his demand?— Sparrow Motive (@SediMotive) May 28, 2026
He’s horrendous on the ball. Might as well just use Disasi if we’re going in this direction.
— Justin Flowers (@juttyflowers7) May 29, 2026
Bring asap
— CFC OBEY®️ (@_kobbyphocus) May 28, 2026
I don’t want him.
— Debbie 💙 (@DebsSZN) May 28, 2026
Alonso wants a centre-half
New manager Xabi Alonso has made it one of his top priorities to reinforce the middle of defence, and the availability of a player like Konate will be tempting.
During his time at Anfield, the Frenchman has won the Premier League title, the FA Cup, two Carabao Cups and the Community Shield.
Konate’s form has, though, dipped alarmingly this season, and misgivings about his performances could influence whether the Blues make a move for him.
Chelsea will struggle to meet his wage demands
Considering Liverpool generally offer bigger salaries than the London club, you do have to wonder whether he would accept any contract that Alonso’s team put on the table.
At the moment, captain Reece James is the joint-highest earner in the first-team squad at £200,000 a week, and he even agreed to a pay cut in his last contract extension.
Konate is likely to demand considerably more than that, especially now that he is set to become a free agent. He will receive offers from a whole host of different clubs.
Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here
