Ibrahima Konate on Liverpool target Khephren Thuram: He's like my little brother

Midfielder Thuram is the son of former France defender Lilian Thuram and brother of Borussia Monchengladbach winger Marcus Thuram.

The youngest Thuram, 22, looks set to follow in the footsteps of his two elders with his dazzling displays for Nice putting a number of Premier clubs reportedly on high alert, including Jurgen Klopp's side.

Konate, 24, was signed by the Reds for £36m from RB Leipzig two summers ago and has cemented a starting berth at the heart of their defence.

The robust defender came through the ranks with Marcus, 25, but says he has been a close observer of Khephren's development and described the Nice midfielder as a 'younger brother' and a player he rates very highly given his tender age.

And Konate has made it known to his employers that he would love to see Khephren at the Reds.

"I would be very happy for him [Thuram] to come to Liverpool and I would take him under my wing and I would do everything for him to progress and become the player he wants to become," said Konate.

"Khephren is like my little brother, he's someone I saw growing up. I was with his big brother in the training centre, but I saw him grow. I saw him perform and progress at a level... It was incredible. Even when he came to the France team for his first selection. I saw him at the training and I was really surprised by his size and his technical ease.

"When I was in Leipzig and I signed for Liverpool, many people said that it was too early, that it was not the right choice. In the end, I proved all these people wrong so you shouldn't listen to people. If Khephren has the opportunity to come to a club like Liverpool, I think he will be surprised the enthusiasm that will come behind him.

"It's up to him to work. He's still very young but he has an incredible margin for improvement so I'm confident."

Liverpool have already added one midfielder to their stocks in the form of World Cup winner Alexis MacAllister, who joined from Brighton for approximately £45m.