da esoccer bet： Liverpool are now plotting a move for an “absolute beast”, who could be brought in to replace Ibrahim Konate, with the Frenchman’s future still up in the air.

Reds eyeing new centre-back with Konate "finished"

da gbg bet： Konate is yet to put pen to paper to extend his stay at Anfield beyond the end of the season, and former scout Mick Brown has now suggested Arne Slot has no problem with the defender leaving.

Brown said: “He hasn’t signed a new contract, and Liverpool are okay with that, they’re not going to keep offering him new ones when he isn’t earning it on the pitch.

“Slot isn’t happy with the way he’s been playing, so he’s ready to let him go and then they’ll want to bring in somebody to upgrade on him.

“Konate is finished at Liverpool at the end of the season, they’re going to let him go and then move to bring in a more reliable and accomplished replacement.”

With Marc Guehi making a move to Manchester City earlier this month, that’s one option off the table as a replacement for Konate, and the Reds are now eyeing a Bundesliga star instead.

That is according to a report from Football Insider, which states Liverpool are now plotting a move for Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck, with talks over a new deal to extend his stay with the German club stalling.

Schlotterbeck, who is valued at £50m, is ‘firmly’ on the Reds’ radar, as they weigh up replacements for Konate, but a move may not be made until the end of the season, as the Merseysiders aren’t planning to strengthen their backline this month.

Transfer correspondent Pete O’Rourke adds: “They’re keeping their powder dry for the summer window. (There) will be a number of names that the Liverpool recruitment team are looking at.”

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ByAngus Sinclair "Beast" Schlotterbeck likened to Van Dijk

Virgil van Dijk is undoubtedly a modern-day Liverpool legend, having made 350 appearances since arriving from Southampton, during which time he’s played a major role in the Reds lifting two Premier League titles and the Champions League.

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As such, Slot will surely be keen for Konate’s replacement to be in a similar mould to Van Dijk, and the Dortmund defender has been compared to the Dutchman in the past, while also being lauded as an “absolute beast” by scout Jacek Kulig.

The German has been one of Dortmund’s most important players in the Bundesliga this season, averaging a 7.32 WhoScored match rating, the highest in the squad, displaying his defensive quality by recently making three tackles in a 3-0 victory against Werder Bremen.

With two goals and two assists to his name in the Bundesliga this term, Schlotterbeck is clearly capable of making an impact at the opposite end of the pitch too, indicating he could be a fantastic Konate heir.