Liverpool will have to overturn a 1-0 deficit if they are to progress past Galatasaray in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Arne Slot’s side travelled to Turkey for the first leg of the tie on Tuesday night, but Mario Lemina’s early goal put the hosts in front in Istanbul.
The Reds struggled to create many real chances but did briefly think they had pulled level when Ibrahima Konate found the back of the net, only for the goal to be ruled out due to handball.
The reigning Premier League champions will need to improve when they welcome the Super Lig champions to Anfield later this month, but in the meantime it has emerged that Konate himself is being watched by a host of huge European clubs.
As per CaughtOffside, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Milan are all ready to battle it out in the race to sign Liverpool centre-back Konate.
The Frenchman is in the final six months of his current contract with the Reds, but talks over an extension have stalled.
Konate, 26, is therefore set to be available as a free agent this summer, and it is claimed that several of Europe’s biggest clubs are already showing interest in the player.
Konate could leave Liverpool for free this summer (Photo: BSR Agency/Alamy)
Having joined Liverpool from German outfit RB Leipzig in 2021, Konate has now made more than 170 appearances for the Merseyside giants across all competitions.
While the France international had built a reputation as one of the best central defenders in the Premier League over the past couple of seasons, his performances this season have often been well below par and he has struggled for consistency.
The defender’s struggles have coincided with Slot’s side also enduring a difficult campaign, although the Reds do remain in both the Champions League and FA Cup and are in contention to finish in the top four in the Premier League.