Chelsea make £43 million offer to sign 26-year-old Liverpool star: Reports

Chelsea have reportedly entered the race to sign central defender Ibrahima Konate from Liverpool. The Blues have tabled a £43 million bid for the Frenchman, who is also said to be wanted by Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

According to a report in Defensa Central, Chelsea want to sign a defender following the injury to Levi Colwill. The Englishman has undergone surgery following his ACL injury and is out for the rest of 2025.

Enzo Maresca's side are now looking to sign a replacement and see Konate as an ideal candidate. The 26-year-old Liverpool star is in the final year of his contract with the Reds and has not signed an extension.

Real Madrid have reportedly been in talks to sign Konate this summer, but haven't made any official bid. Reports suggested that the Spanish giants made a take-it-or-leave-it bid of €25 million (£21.6m) for the defender, but the Reds were sticking to their asking price of €50 million (£43.2m).

The Spanish publication's report now suggests that Chelsea have matched the asking price. However, Liverpool are unwilling to sell to a Premier League rival and are pushing for a contract extension.

Chelsea and Real Madrid target Ibrahima Konate spoke about Liverpool contract earlier this year

Ibrahima Konate spoke to the media on the final day of the 2024-25 Premier League season in May, confirming that he had not signed a new deal at Liverpool. The Chelsea target added that he was never close to penning a deal, as the negotiations were still ongoing. He said (via The Athletic):

"You know, I just want to say one thing: everything you saw on social media is completely fake. I didn't even ask for something from the club. They made me an offer and I replied to them with something, that is it. The rest (speculation) that I want to wait until the end… I want this, all of it is completely fake.

"And even the big journalists said in November that I am very close to signing the deal. I was like: 'Ah, they have more information than me?!'. It was not true at that moment, and that is why I was a little bit mad because it was not true at that moment. I knew at one moment people would think I didn't want to sign the contract, but I was never close to signing it. We will see what will happen."

The Guardian offered an update in June, claiming that the Chelsea target was disappointed with the latest offer from Liverpool. Konate will start the Premier League season at Anfield and is expected to be in the squad when the defending champions face AFC Bournemouth on Friday, August 15.