Serie A champions Napoli are reportedly interested in signing Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate this summer.

How important is Konate for Liverpool?

The 24-year-old arrived from RB Leipzig two years ago and has reached a point where there is an argument to say he is the Reds' best centre-back option.

Much of that will depend on how Virgil van Dijk performs after a poor campaign by his high standards – with Konate Liverpool's standout player in that position in 2022/23. Indeed, when fit, the Frenchman averaged 2.1 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in the Premier League, compared to Van Dijk's 0.8 and 1 per game for those metrics respectively.

The £70,000-a-week Konate is a hugely important player for Liverpool and should continue to be for many years – assuming he stays at Anfield for the foreseeable future. A worrying new update has emerged, however, with Konate linked with a shock exit from the Reds.

Could Napoli sign Konate this summer?

According to Corriere dello Sport [via Sport Witness], Napoli are eyeing a summer move for the Liverpool ace, seeing him as a strong option to come in and replace Kim Min-jae, who is set to join Bayern Munich.

He has "not played so much" for the Reds, which is seen as a reason Napoli potentially have a chance of signing him, although they realise a "remarkable" fee would be needed to have any chance of snapping him up.

Frankly, the idea of Liverpool losing Konate this summer doesn't even bear thinking about considering he is still only 24 and has so many years ahead of him at the top level.

With Van Dijk and Joel Matip both ageing and Joe Gomez nothing more than a backup option, it is imperative that the Reds keep hold of someone who could be the leader of their defence well into the future.

While Napoli are clearly a great club in their own right, Konate will surely not even consider moving on from Liverpool, with a promising summer materialising in the transfer market and a stronger season surely expected in 2023/24 following a blip last time around.

Jurgen Klopp has hailed Konate as "incredibly talented" and no doubt values him greatly, and his absence was felt badly when he was injured last season, with the Reds boss clearly using him whenever he was available.

Liverpool simply must retain his services for as long as possible, hopefully extending his current deal at some point, which expires in the summer of 2026.