Liverpool FC seal deal for Leipzig's centre-back Ibrahima Konate

Liverpool FC signed RB Leipzig centre-back Ibrahima Konte after agreeing to pay his release clause of £36m ($51m), the club revealed on Friday.

Konte, who is set to join Liverpool from July 1, has agreed to a long-term contract, which is subject to international clearance and a successful work permit application process, after finalising terms and passing a medical, according to Liverpool's official website.

"I'm really happy to be joining such a massive club like Liverpool. It's a really exciting moment for me and my family and I am really looking forward to meeting my new teammates, the staff and getting started on this new chapter. Right now, my focus is on the U21 European Championships with France, but after this competition I know I will be joining one of the best teams in the world and that gives me a great feeling.

I have worked very hard for many years to get to this point, but I would like to say a big thank you to everyone at RB Leipzig and all the people I worked with there – the coaches, my teammates, the staff and especially the fans. Your support helped me grow up during my time there and become not only a better player, but a better man and I will always be grateful for it," Konate told Liverpool's official website in an interview on Friday.

The 22-year-old defender kickstarted his professional career at Sochaux, a French club that features in the country's second-tier league. After an impressive debut season with their senior side, Konate moved to Bundesliga side Leipzig in the summer of 2017. He spent four seasons at the German club, making 95 competitive appearances

Konate is currently with France's U21 squad for the UEFA European Championships. To date, he has 12 caps for his country at that level.

Reacting to Konate's signing, Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp expressed that he is pleased to welcome a player of "Ibrahima's quality" to his squad before acknowledging the "unbelieve" efforts from Nat Phillips, Ozan Kabak, and Rhys Williams during their injury-hit 2020-21 campaign.

"I'm really pleased we've been able to add a player of Ibrahima's quality to our squad and he is someone I've admired for a long time, ever since I first became aware of his potential when he was at Sochaux. After the problems we had with injuries in the centre-half position last season, there's no doubt it was clear it was an area of the team we needed to strengthen – but I first have to say that the job Nat, Rhys and Ozan did was incredible. Unbelievable really.

In Ibrahima, we are signing a player who will add to the quality we already have here. His physical attributes are very impressive; he is quick, he is very strong and he is dominant in the air. He comes to us after playing more than 90 times for Leipzig in the Bundesliga and European football. I'm sure that number would have been more but for some injury, but even so, that means he already has experience of what it takes to compete in two outstandingly difficult competitions. He also played for a team in the Champions League in high-pressure matches, who have a similar football vision to ourselves," Klopp told Liverpool's media in an interview.

"I am confident we are signing a player who can play for us right away, but he is a boy of 22 years of age who has room to improve because of his massive potential. I know that's something he is eager to work on with us to become an even better player. For me, that's really exciting because I have seen how good he is already and I'm looking forward to working with him when he joins up with us in pre-season," added Klopp.