Manchester United are interested in a move for RB Leipzig's Ibrahima Konate despite his strong links with a move to Liverpool, according to EuroSport. 

What is the latest transfer news involving Konate? 

Last week, The Athletic claimed Liverpool were working on sealing a deal for the French defender who is said to have a €40m (roughly £34.16m) release clause in his contract. 

However, this report suggests both United and Chelsea are also keen on a move for the 21-year-old and while no advances have yet been made, they will have to decide whether or not they want to join the race and step up on that interest quickly. 

What have the experts said? 

When initially reacting to the Liverpool news, The Athletic's football analyst Tom Worville described Konate as 'unbelievable in the air' and said he 'loves to carry the ball forward' while also waxing lyrical about his 'good pace'. 

In his deep-dive on the publication talking about what Konate could bring to Liverpool, the article cites a 'data scout at a top European club' who noted the defender had been 'clocked as one of the three fastest centre-backs in the continent's top five leagues within the past two seasons'.

How could this benefit United? 

Rio Ferdinand has previously lamented the lack of pace in United's backline after watching Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof exposed earlier in the season, so Konate does seem a good fit. 

Aside from that, the defender also leads both United's starting central defenders in some key metrics. According to FBREF data, his seasonal average so far (though it's worth noting he has played far fewer games) of winning aerial duels is much higher than the two United players, boasting an impressive 83.3% success rate. 

He also averages more tackles won per game than Maguire and Lindelof (1.06 to 0.57 and 0.48 respectively) and applies more pressing actions (3.83 to 3.74 and 3.13), suggesting he's a more dynamic presence in the backline. 

Should they go for him? 

Based on those statistics as well as the fact he's available for around £34m and has so much of his career ahead of him, it would seem wise to at least try and battle their North West rivals this summer. 

Despite United sitting in second at the moment with a reasonably healthy four-point buffer between them and Leicester in third, they have conceded more than Manchester City, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Tottenham this season, so plugging gaps defensively could help them try and close the gap in terms of seriously challenging for the title.