Liverpool ready to sign ‘very exciting’ Bradley upgrade

So the indicators are leading to Ibrahima Konate’s eventual exit from Liverpool at the end of her £70,000-a-week contract, which is set to expire this summer.

Adding depth and real quality is more than just a priority for the Merseysiders, who must successfully reshape a struggling backline in 2026 if they hope to compete for football’s biggest prizes in the years to come.

Complicating matters is Conor Bradley’s recent season-ending injury, with FSG potentially forced into winter action in the transfer window. They didn’t want this, but Arne Slot could be sold short without some form of reinforcement.

Liverpool are not entirely worn out after last summer’s spending spree, but there is no doubt that this is a team lacking depth, and so plans are being drawn up for a new right-back before the end of the month.

Liverpool’s plans to replace Conor Bradley

It was a heartbreaking evening for Bradley, whose first-half long-range effort thundered against the bar before injuring his knee in the closing stages, bringing his campaign to a premature end.

Jeremiah Frimpong has returned from injury and returned to good form, and that’s a big plus for Slot’s team, but with Joe Gomez the only natural alternative on the right side, it’s clear that FSG should add some depth before the winter market closes.

And while the American owners are unlikely to do anything precipitate, they might want to make a move for Feyenoord prospect Givairo Read, with the 19-year-old having been tracked by the Anfield outfit recently, according to TEAMtalk, with Bayern Munich also keen.

Last season, Chelsea showed interest in the Amsterdam-born defender and were asked to shell out £25 million. That figure is bound to be higher now, as Read continues to go from strength to strength in his homeland.

Why Givairo Read could be an upgrade over Bradley

Read is young, but he has already assembled a lot of qualities and has built up a technically impressive skill set and a reputation as a “warrior”, as talent scout Jacek Kulig noted during a Champions League match against AC Milan last season.

A strong and creative runner to boot, the teenager would fit in perfectly at Liverpool, with shades of Bradley’s fast-paced style that could see him become the Northern Ireland international’s ideal rival.

He covers so much ground and records a record Sofascore that Read has won 61% of his ground duels in the league this season, highlighting a natural defensive aptitude to partner with his flashier side.

Looking at how he compares to the 22-year-old Liverpool defender, you can also see how he has the ability to eventually strip Bradley, a fan favorite on Merseyside but unfortunately injury-prone to the point of having a detrimental impact on his development.

Liverpool will remain confident in Bradley and his chances of bouncing back from this latest setback and continuing to rise higher alongside Slot, but there is no doubt that they cannot afford many more moves, especially if Liverpool sign Read.

A “very exciting” promising defender who “can do almost anything”, as journalist Bence Bocsak put it, Read could well end up surpassing Bradley and becoming a mainstay for the reigning Premier League champions.

It goes without saying that playing football in the Premier League is of a higher standard than competing in the Dutch Eredivisie. It’s objective.

However, Read has all the tools to become a complete back for a team like Liverpool, and although Bradley is a promising player, the best ability is availability, as they say, and Read could find a gap to play into if he is welcomed to Anfield in 2026.

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