While Ibrahima Konate officially enters the final three months of his Liverpool contract with his future seemingly tied to the club’s Champions League success, a major development has surfaced.
It’s set to be a summer of much change on Merseyside, with it already confirmed that Mohamed Salah will depart Arne Slot‘s camp at the close of the season.
This was shocking bit of news when it dropped, with Salah ripping up his contract, after donning Liverpool red for 435 appearances and counting.
Along the way, the Egyptian has also collected a very impressive 255 goals, but he might not be the only high-profile departure the Anfield masses have to become used to.
Indeed, Andy Robertson could well be the next stalwart that decides to leave Liverpool behind, with the likes of Celtic reportedly interested in the star, who only has a contract in play until June.
Alongside Robertson in defence, Ibrahima Konate is also still yet to pen a new contract, with Real Madrid one potential next onward destination for the 6-foot-4 colossus, if he decides to walk away from England.
There have been many twists and turns when it comes to Konate’s future in recent times, with one of the latest developments indicating that the ex-RB Leipzig defender could stay put on Merseyside soil, despite all this Madrid transfer chatter.
The latest on Konate’s future
According to a new update from the Athletic, multiple sources linked to the dressing room at Anfield can reveal that the current mood is that Konate is more likely to stay than leave.
However, at the moment, no new deal has been agreed, with the report stating that reigning Premier League champions have been in discussions over an extended contract, since October 2024.
The hurdle Liverpool will need to overcome, to tempt Konate to stay, is to increase his wage, with the Frenchman taking home a £150k-per-week salary.
The Athletic state that he wants to be seen as one of the club’s highest earners, which would be more in line with Florian Wirtz‘s bumper £250k-per-week package.
There are many more factors in play influencing Konate’s stone cold approach at the moment, with Liverpool failing to qualify for the Champions League, perhaps the deal-breaker for the 26-year-old to seriously consider moving on.
It’s all up in the air, as Liverpool still have a significant chunk of their ongoing season left to finish, but there are some slight glimmers of encouragement from this latest development from the Athletic.
Ideally, Liverpool would seal a deal for Konate, as he has been impressed this season, and across recent matches, despite all this rampant speculation.
Why Liverpool will hope they can keep Konate
In the Premier League this season, the Paris-born titan has only missed two matches all campaign.
Slot clearly loves selecting Konate, alongside his trusty centre-back partner in Virgil Van Dijk, with the towering number five scoring two goals this season, when putting his dominant 6-foot-5 frame to good use.
Winning a powerful four duels during Liverpool’s recent 4-0 victory over Galatasaray, too, Konate will be key to the Reds shutting up shop in some tough games to come.
The worry will be that the 26-year-old will likely walk away from Slot and Co. in the summer, if the top four isn’t reached in the Premier League, and then a brand-new club will then be able to gain a very accomplished defensive brute on a free transfer.
Until the season is officially over, though, Liverpool will keep trying to persuade Konate to stick around, as it’s clear he is a much-loved first team presence, when at the peak of his powers.
