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Liverpool has a squad that is ready to win now, as evidenced by seven wins out of seven to start the campaign. On paper, it is also set up to succeed well into the future, kickstarting a dynasty under Arne Slot — but that relies on keeping the existing group together, a goal that Ibrahima Konate is threatening to thwart.
After a busy summer, Liverpool is in an enviable position from a squad planning perspective. Fears over replacing Mohamed Salah's output have been eased by the arrival of three of the game's very best attacking talents, the oldest of whom just turned 26.
The 2023 midfield overhaul looks better with each passing week: Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, and Dominik Szoboszlai can all be important pillars for the next half-decade or longer. But in defense, Konate's expiring contract throws a post Virgil van Dijk future into significant doubt — hence recent links to Dayot Upamecano.
While Konate was never necessarily going to be Van Dijk's direct successor, he was meant to graduate to senior partner in the back line, acting as the pillar of continuity next to a new signing or a promoted youngster. That may yet happen, with nothing decided on the contract front, but the clock is ticking.
Should the Reds be forced into the market, Marc Guehi remains a favored contender. His contract is also running out, so Liverpool may end up losing a player for nothing and signing a replacement for nothing as well.
But there will be plenty of rivals for Guehi's signature after a deadline day move to Anfield collapsed. So it would be foolish not to consider alternatives.
Moreover, if Liverpool needs to replace Konate, it may wish to sign two new center-backs. If Guehi were to arrive as the Van Dijk successor, then Slot would still need someone to step up in place of the Frenchman.
That player might have been Giovanni Leoni. But while he can absolutely still have a brilliant long-term future at Anfield, he won't be stepping up any time soon, with a cruel injury blow sidelining him for the best part of a year.
This could be where Upamecano enters the picture. A previous comparison from Konate sums up where the Bayern Munich star might fit in at Anfield.
Two years ago, Konate was asked on international duty whether Upamecano was at the same level as Van Dijk. He gave an emphatic response.
"What kind of question is that?", Konate scoffed, via TNT Sports. "You can’t compare the two.
"With Upamecano, we are in the same category even if he is a very high competitor. But Van Dijk, I put him on a different planet.
"We’re still a long way from achieving what he did. Although we will get there one day, I have no doubt."
Two years on, neither Konate nor Upamecano can claim to have reached Van Dijk's levels just yet. But that's no slight — the Liverpool captain is on a "different planet" to just about all of his positional peers.
The fact that Konate places his old RB Leipzig teammate on a similar level to himself speaks volumes. The two have shared similar journeys up this point, and both occupy a bracket just one or two steps below the absolute elite.
Trading one 26-year-old for the other would be about as seamless as it could get if Liverpool did need to replace Konate. And, you guessed it, Upamecano is another player whose contract ends next summer.
Bayern Munich is still looking to renew it, just as Liverpool is still speaking to Konate. But one way or another, the market is primed for a flurry of defensive activity.
Even if Liverpool does convince Konate to stay, his verdict on Upamecano suggests the Reds should think about reuniting the pair. But as if they didn't know already, they have been warned: neither he nor anyone else will be able to directly replace Van Dijk when the time comes.
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