By Modou Lamin Beyai
Promoted Italian Serie A club SPAL are looking to purchase a left-back for the new season and have set their sights firmly on Gambian defender Pa Momodou Konate, according to Corriere dello Sport.
The 23-year-old came through the Malmö academy before some loan time with Östers IF in 2014.
He joined Malmö’s first-team in 2013 and has since attracted a lot of attention from European clubs notably Genoa, Crotone and FC Girondins de Bordeaux.
But with his contract set to expire at the end of this year, SPAL are hoping they can tempt him away from the Allsvenskan club with reports that the Italian side’s president Davide Vagnati is in Sweden to finalize talks.
“Mentally speaking, I think that I can play at such a level (in Italy). I’ve been out in Europe (UEFA Champions League) with Malmö, so of course I feel ready for it,” Konate said in a pre-match conference at the weekend.
Konate, who is valued at €400,000, added: “I love Italy. It’s a wonderful country. It’s fun that they show interest. That means I’ve done something good but I believe Malmö and my agent will handle everything.”
Konate, whose mother is Gambian and born in Malmö, is understood to have expressed an interest in playing for the Scorpions but is yet to receive any serious approach.
S.P.A.L. 2013, better known as Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor (or simply SPAL) is a professional Italian football club, based in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna.
The club won promotion to the Italian top-tier for the first time in 49 years after securing top spot in the Serie B.
