Ibrahima Konaté looked all set to sign a contract extension at Liverpool just a few weeks ago, but apparently something has gone drastically wrong behind the scenes, and the 27-year-old now looks set to leave the Reds when his contract expires at the end of June. Oopsies!

It’s not clear what happened to cause such a massive tectonic shift, but as L’Equipe reports, this presents a “rare opportunity” to acquire a player of such caliber for free. Konaté has been first-choice at Liverpool alongside Virgil van Dijk for the past several years, and he’s established himself as one of the primary options for the France national team as well during that time.

So it’s perhaps a bit optimistic to claim that Chelsea are “in the running” for his signature, but the report sees fit to include us as the makeweight third option behind more likely suitors Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. You can’t have a transfer rumor without three options, after all.

The World Cup will complicate the situation as well, though in a bit of wishful thinking, maybe it could help an unlikely quick approach from the Blues, to secure his future before the tournament starts in a couple weeks?