The one glaring weakness in PSG’s team is their defensive depth.
While Marquinhos and Willian Pacho have been one of the best center-back pairings in the world this year, and Lucas Hernandez has just returned from an ACL tear, they don’t have many players they have shown to trust centrally beyond those three.
Milan Skrinair’s departure made their depth even thinner. And after the failure of the Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., and Kylian Mbappe trio, PSG has dedicated themselves to building a project that focuses on two main areas, signing young talent and signing the best talents from France, which has one of, if not the best talent pool of any country in the world.
According to recent reports from ESPN, PSG has their eyes set on a central defender who fits both of those categories for this summer.
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PSG wants Ibrahima Konate
Ibrahima Konate moved from RB Leipzig to Liverpool in 2021 and has since then established himself as one of the best defenders in the world.
He has established himself as a consistent starter for Arne Slot’s team, starting at left center back next to Virgil Van Dijk, even though his main foot is his right foot.
His current contract ends in 2026, and despite Liverpool making strong offers to retain him, it has been suggested that he would be interested in a move back to his hometown to join PSG.
With him going in to the final year of his deal, it seems likely that PSG could get him at a discounted price if Liverpool is forced to sell.
According to a report from ESPN’s Julien Laurens, PSG is making Konate one of their priority targets for this summer.
With only one year on his contract, if he does not want to extend his deal at Anfield it is incredibly likely that Liverpool would be willing to sell him in the summer of 2025.
Konate’s motivation to come to Paris
Konate has publicly spoken about his connection to the city of Paris and PSG.
He was born and raised in Paris, moving through the Paris FC academy. He has also said he and his six brothers were PSG fans growing up, spending plenty of time watching games on TV and at the Parc des Princes.
To sweeten the potential offer, it was rumored previously that PSG would offer him a chance to become the next captain of the club.
While Marquinhos has had two very strong seasons since running into a rough patch in 2022-23, he is still about to turn 31 this upcoming May.
While players are able to maintain their peak performance later due to new training techniques and recovery methods, every player will eventually succumb to their age.
Bringing in Konate does not mean they would need to sell Marquinhos, but rather to provide insurance if he does begin to start falling off.
Pairing Konate with Willian Pacho would provide PSG with one of the top center-back pairings in Europe, and the two of them are only 23 and 25 years old, respectively.
