Ibrahima Konate viewed as Liverpool player for next season
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Ibrahima Konate has most frequently lined up alongside captain Virgil van Dijk this season. The club are keen to add a more experienced option to improve depth.According to the Liverpool Echo’s Paul Gorst, centre-back Ibrahima Konate is viewed presently as more realistic that he will still be a Liverpool player for next season.The 26-year-old is close to signing a new contract.
His current deal expires at the end of the season, and he is eager to resolve his future before the new campaign begins.Talks, which started in October 2024, have yet to produce an agreement after initial offers were considered too low, leading to interest from clubs including Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.Konate endured a difficult start to the season and was criticised by Arne Slot after a 3-3 draw with Leeds United, but has since improved despite Liverpool’s inconsistent results. He has made 45 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring two goals.Writing in a Liverpool Echo Q&A session, Gorst said: “The most recent update we had on this from Arne Slot, two months ago, was that the club remained in talks with Konate’s representatives and it is currently viewed as more likely that he stays on than leaves as a free agent.“Liverpool left it until April of last season to confirm Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk were staying so there is precedent for this sort of impasse to drag on this long before finding a resolution that suits.“Konate, despite an indifferent season, will no doubt have suitors at the table and he is technically able to speak to clubs outside of England about a pre-contract agreement.“But it is viewed presently as more realistic that he will still be a Liverpool player for next season.
Konate is still on the same terms he signed five years ago when he was a relative unknown, signed from RB Leipzig.“Now he is a Premier League winner, Champions League finalist (2022) and someone who has captained France and may start at the World Cup. This is perhaps where the sticking point lies after around 18 months of talks.”Konate joined the Premier League champions Liverpool in 2021 from RB Leipzig in a £36million deal, having started his career in France with Sochaux.