"I am surprised" - Stan Collymore says he's baffled as to why Liverpool aren't looking to sign 27-year-old defender instead of Marc Guehi 

Former English attacker Stan Collymore has expressed surprise that Liverpool are nnot considering signing Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa as a defensive reinforcement this summer. The Reds have been active in the transfer market, completing deals for Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.

Meanwhile, Ibrahima Konate is reportedly unhappy with the structure of the Reds' new contract offer. As a result, talks about a potential extension have stalled, and Konate's contract with Liverpool expires in the summer of 2026.

Addressing the Frenchman's situation at Anfield, Collymore has said that Konate can leave if he's not committed to the club. He wrote (via CaughtOffside):

"Ibrahim Konate is not what Virgil van Dijk or Mohamed Salah are to Liverpool in terms of importance. If they were to lose him, it would pinch a little bit. But that's all it would do. I think there are better defenders around the world that Liverpool could unearth and will unearth. And if Konate doesn't want to sign and commit to what is a very healthy Liverpool wage structure, then let him go."

Collymore stated that the Reds can bring Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi as Konate's replacement due to his versatility and ability to be a team player. He added:

"Would Guehi be a like-for-like replacement? No. But the beauty with Guehi is that he comes in and he is a versatile option across the defence. And he's also very much a player that is a very good club man. He's going to be a solid 7/10 and play plenty of games all through the season."

However, the former English forward also claimed that he's baffled that the Reds haven't considered a transfer for Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa yet.

"But I am surprised that a team like Liverpool aren't looking at Ezri Konsa in this situation, given Aston Villa's PSR owoes."

Meanwhile, due to the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), Aston Villa are actively trying to offload Leon Bailey, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins.

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Liverpool joins Arsenal in the race for 27-year-old attacker: Reports

SL Benfica v Sporting CP - Portuguese Cup 2024/2025 - Final - Source: Getty

According to TeamTalk (via 3 Added Minutes), Liverpool have reportedly joined Arsenal in the race to sign Sporting CP attacker Viktor Gyokeres this summer. The Reds see the Swedish forward as a budget option compared to Newcastle United's Alexander Isak.

The Gunners have had a long-standing interest in the former Brighton and Hove Albion attacker. According to the report, Gyokeres is also eager to join the north London club instead of the Premier League champions.

Meanwhile, the Reds could also pursue Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike. However, signing a new attacker at Liverpool depends on the departure of Darwin Nunez, who is currently linked to Serie A champions Napoli.

Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer