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Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate refuses to rule out future Paris Saint-Germain move
Sport
Published
1 week ago
on
November 6, 2023
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate admits that he has envisaged himself playing for Paris Saint-Germain in the future….Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has admitted that he has imagined himself playing for Paris Saint-Germain in the future.
The 24-year-old, a PSG fan who was born and raised in the French capital, began his youth career at Paris FC before moving to Sochaux where he made his professional debut in February 2017.
Konate caught the eye of RB Leipzig and joined the German club in the summer of 2017, making a total of 95 appearances over a four-year period.
The 6ft 4in centre-back then completed a £36m transfer to Liverpool in July 2021 and he has since established himself as a first-team regular for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Konate had played 64 times for Liverpool in all competitions and has started eight of his 11 appearances for the Reds so far this season.
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Konate still has three years remaining on his contract at Anfield, but the defender has suggested that he would find it difficult to turn down a future move to Ligue 1 champions PSG if they came calling.
Asked whether he has ever envisaged himself wearing a PSG shirt during an interview with Canal Plus, Konate said: “If I said no, I’d be lying, but if you’re asking, is it one of my objectives? Not at all.”
Following the departures of Lionel Messi and Neymar, Luis Enrique’s PSG side has since taken a different approach to their transfer business and prioritised recruiting younger players predominantly from France in the summer.
Kylian Mbappe remains at the Parc des Princes, for now, amid reported uncertainty over his future, and the 24-year-old has been joined at the club by French quartet Ousmane Dembele, Randal Kolo Muani, Lucas Hernandez and Bradley Barcola.
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Konate, who plays alongside PSG’s French contingent at international level, has praised the recruitment of the Ligue 1 champions and believes their new approach to the transfer market has pleased the club’s supporters.
“PSG has made sure to recruit players who understand each other well and who play with each other for the France national team,” the 12-cap France international added.
“Even for the people and the Parisian fans, it makes them happy. It’s what they’ve been waiting for years, having Parisian players or at least French players in the team.”
Liverpool are understood to have no interest in parting ways with Konate, who is the youngest central defender among Klopp’s senior options including 32-year-old duo Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip, and 26-year-old Joe Gomez.
Konate played the full 90 minutes in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Luton Town in the Premier League on Sunday, with Luis Diaz netting a 95th-minute equaliser to rescue a point at Kenilworth Road.
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Sport
Chelsea defender Reece James ‘won’t consider Manchester City, Real Madrid moves’
Published
14 mins ago
on
November 14, 2023
Chelsea defender Reece James reportedly has no interest in signing for Manchester City or Real Madrid for the foreseeable future….Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Reece James reportedly has no interest in leaving Chelsea for Manchester City or Real Madrid for the foreseeable future.
Aside from a productive loan spell in the Championship with Wigan Athletic, James has spent his entire career – both youth and professional – representing Chelsea.
Despite his injury issues, the 23-year-old has still managed to make 153 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and providing 21 assists.
The latest of the latter came on Sunday as Chelsea played out a thrilling 4-4 draw with Manchester City, James making his third start in succession in all competitions after a hamstring injury.
James and Chelsea will each be hopeful that he can enjoy more game time during 2023-24 after an injury-hit period, but spells on the sidelines have not led to interest dwindling in his services.
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Real Madrid, who will eventually require at least one fresh face at right-back to replace the likes of Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez, are long-term admirers of James.
Furthermore, a recent report has indicated that Man City are monitoring the situation, with Kyle Walker turning 34 years of age at the end of 2023-24.
Nevertheless, according to 90min, James is not prepared to consider an exit from Chelsea, remaining fully committed to the current project.
His last contract renewal came in September 2022, extending his stay with the West Londoners until 2028, and he seemingly wants to go deep into that deal.
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Such is James’s status at Chelsea that head coach Mauricio Pochettino handed him the club captaincy when he arrived at the club in the summer.
The report adds that James has no desire to move to a Premier League rival of Chelsea, such as was the case with some of his former teammates in the summer once it became apparent that they did not have a future as Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital instigated a change in direction.
Providing that James can prove his fitness in the short and long term, he is likely to be regarded as an indispensable asset by the co-owners and Pochettino.
Having been advised to remain away from international duty with England for the November fixtures, James will hope to feature when Chelsea face Newcastle United on November 25.
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Sport
Chelsea handed Malo Gusto injury concern
Published
1 hour ago
on
November 14, 2023
Chelsea are handed a fitness blow heading into the international break after it was revealed that Malo Gusto had sustained a knee injury….Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Chelsea defender Malo Gusto may be in line for a short spell on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury at the weekend.
Having signed for Chelsea in January and remained on loan at Lyon, Gusto has since endured a productive start to life at Stamford Bridge.
A total of six starts and three substitute outings have been made in the Premier League, a further two appearances from the bench coming in the EFL Cup.
Some of Gusto’s game time have been a consequence of Reece James’s latest spell on the sidelines, while he would have featured more had he not been sent off against Aston Villa in September.
With club captain James having recently made his return from a hamstring injury, the 20-year-old has found himself back among the replacements over the past three fixtures.
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Nevertheless, the one-cap France international has been introduced into games with Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City on each occasion.
Gusto featured for the remaining 24 minutes plus added-on time during the latter on Sunday, helping Chelsea battle their way to an enthralling 4-4 draw with the defending Premier League champions.
However, his participation appears to have come at a cost with Gusto having had to withdraw from the France Under-21 squad.
According to L’Equipe, Gusto sustained a minor knee ligament injury during the latter stages of the contest at the weekend.
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As it stands, it is unclear how long the youngster will remain away from the training pitch, a period that Mauricio Pochettino wants to use to continue to develop understanding within his ranks.
Although a wide array of Chelsea players will be away with their respective nations over the next week, the Argentine is hopeful of being able to welcome back other injured players ahead of a busier period from November 25 onwards.
Levi Colwill is not expected to be a long-term absentee with a shoulder issue, while Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku are pushing to be in contention after ankle and knee injuries by the end of the month.
No possible return dates have been given for Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka, but Wesley Fofana is still expected to miss the majority of the season with a serious knee injury.
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Sport
Manchester United ‘to block January offers for Antony’
Published
2 hours ago
on
November 14, 2023
Manchester United reportedly have no intention of entertaining any offers for Antony during the January transfer window….Click Here To Continue Reading>>
Manchester United reportedly intend to keep faith in Antony for the remainder of the season.
Much was expected of the winger when he arrived at Old Trafford in an £84m deal from Ajax in August 2022.
However, as is stands, the deal has proven to be one of the most wasteful in Premier League history, the Brazil international having failed to make a sustained impression.
Just four goals and two assists have been recorded in 34 top-flight outings, with his other four strikes and one assist coming across three different cup competitions.
Head coach Erik ten Hag has continued to select the 23-year-old on a regular basis during 2023-24, with 492 minutes of football coming in the league.
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Nevertheless, Antony has failed to contributed a single goal or assist during those games, resulting in his omission from the starting lineup for the last two matches in all competitions.
Antony played the final quarter of Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Luton Town, but only injuries are likely to lead to a recall after the November international break.
There have been suggestions that Brazilian club Flamengo hold an interest in negotiating a temporary arrangement with United in an effort for Antony to recapture his best form.
Instead, according to Football Insider, United have no interest in cutting their losses with Antony at this stage of his United career.
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The report claims that Ten Hag remains a fan of the player and will seemingly continue to use him with United currently still active in two competitions and the FA Cup to come after Christmas.
United are already in a position where they are a winger down due to Jadon Sancho’s impasse with Ten Hag over a disagreement that they had over his form and commitment at the start of September.
Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Pellistri are United’s other recognised wide options, while Amad Diallo may soon return from injury to come into contention.
Antony still has a contract with United until the end of the 2026-27 campaign, the club also having the option of extending those terms by a further 12 months.
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