Liverpool star ‘would be very happy’ if Klopp signed £55m midfielder – ‘I would do everything for him’
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has admitted that he “would be very happy” if the Premier League giants sign Khephren Thuram this summer.
The Reds have already signed Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton for £35m ahead of next season. It has since been reported that they are now turning their attention to Nice’s Thuram and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone.
Towards the end of last week, it was claimed that Liverpool have ‘agreed personal terms’ with Thuram with the view to signing him for around £55m.
The 22-year-old has been a key player for Nice over the past couple of seasons and he has already been capped at senior level for France.
On Tuesday morning, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano suggested that Thuram and Kone are ‘in talks’ with Liverpool, while Gabri Viego is an ‘attractive’ option.
‘There have been links with Gabri Veiga, but he’s not an alternative to someone like Khephren Thuram as they’re a different style of player,’ Romano wrote for Caught Offside.
‘Liverpool have many players on their list, but it will depend on the opportunities on the market and the cost of the player. Thuram and also Manu Kone are in talks with Liverpool, and Veiga is an attractive option on the list, but there’s nothing more for now.
Konate has now openly expressed his desire to play with Thuram at Liverpool as the defender is keen to take the midfielder “under his wing”.
“I would be very happy for him [Thuram] to come to Liverpool and I would take him under my wing and I would do everything for him to progress and become the player he wants to become,” Konate said (via RMC Sport).
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He added: “Khephren is like my little brother, he’s someone I saw growing up. I was with his big brother in the training centre, but I saw him grow. I saw him perform and progress at a level… It was incredible.
“Even when he came to the France team for his first selection. I saw him at the training and I was really surprised by his size and his technical ease.
“When I was in Leipzig and I signed for Liverpool, many people said that it was too early, that it was not the right choice.
“In the end, I proved all these people wrong so you shouldn’t listen to people. If Khephren has the opportunity to come to a club like Liverpool, I think he will be surprised by the enthusiasm that will come behind him.
“It’s up to him to work. He’s still very young but he has an incredible margin for improvement so I’m confident.”
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