Four Ibrahima Konate replacements including one Liverpool can buy right now for £69m

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With top-quality centre-backs at a premium, the Reds will surely now be forced to dip into the market to find a successor for the man who has primarily partnered Virgil van Dijk at the heart of their defence since 2021.With that in mind, here's four candidates who could be on the radar of Richard Hughes and Liverpool's recruitment team.Jan Paul van Hecke - BrightonBrighton's Jan Paul van Hecke ticks several boxes and has already been linked with a move to Liverpool through reports in his native country via publication Voetbal International. Despite measuring 6'3", he is not quite as commanding aerially as Konate, but alongside Van Dijk and with imposing young defender Jeremy Jacquet due to link up for pre-season, he should still fit in well with Liverpool's current options.Battling for selection with the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Stefan de Vrij, Van Hecke has earned just 10 caps for the Netherlands thus far but has been included in the Dutch World Cup squad ahead of those two competitors for his position and is expected to fulfil a significant role alongside Van Dijk in North America.This existing rapport is an advantage for Van Hecke and makes him a natural contender to succeed Konate, though his World Cup commitments mean Liverpool would need to either move swiftly or hold off until later in the summer to initiate discussions.

Chelsea are also understood to hold an interest, with Brighton anticipated to seek around £50m for his signature.Joachim Andersen - FulhamSomething of an FPL favourite during his Crystal Palace days a couple of seasons back, Andersen - now plying his trade at Fulham - is a dominant presence in the air who excels in interceptions and clearances while remaining assured in possession - though perhaps not quite as forward-thinking as Van Hecke.A contrasting profile to the Dutchman, Andersen's qualities would nonetheless help to compensate for Konate's alternative strengths - and given his wealth of experience, could prove a more astute acquisition in an increasingly physical Premier League. Standing just a centimetre shorter than Van Hecke, Andersen has amassed six years of Premier League pedigree and 49 caps for Denmark.He sits within the top 10% of Premier League centre-backs for touches and aerial duels won, with his differing skill set also indicating he could deputise for Van Dijk, affording the Liverpool skipper greater chances for essential rest having clocked up more minutes than any other 34-year-old this campaign.He arrived at Fulham for £30m two years ago and would undoubtedly be the most affordable option on this list.

Should they opt for the former approach, there are few more suitable candidates than Andersen.Jarell Quansah - Bayer LeverkusenAs peculiar as it might seem for Jarell Quansah to return to Liverpool just a year after his £35million move to Bayer Leverkusen, the market is hardly abundant with top-quality, right-sided centre-backs within the age bracket Liverpool typically target.The outcome of the Konate situation makes the choice to let Quansah depart all the more puzzling in retrospect, considering the Liverpool academy graduate demonstrated tremendous promise and maturity well beyond his years - although his self-belief appeared fragile at times during Slot's debut campaign, particularly after the Dutchman - who was sacked by the Reds on Saturday - substituted him at the interval in his opening match as manager.At Leverkusen, however, Quansah has re-established himself among Europe's finest young defenders, earning a call-up to represent England at the World Cup this summer. However, German outlet BILD have indicated that any Liverpool return for Quansah would be more probable next year, when that buy-back clause will fall to £52million.Another season at Leverkusen would probably benefit Quansah's progression, given his improvement this term, but the original sale of arguably the finest pure defensive talent the Liverpool academy has nurtured since Jamie Carragher now certainly appears a peculiar decision.Alessandro Bastoni - InternazionaleBastoni is undoubtedly the sort of name to generate excitement amongst supporters, but he arguably wouldn't represent the ideal profile to replace Konate.