Enormous €16.6m-a-year contract confirms exit for elite Liverpool star

Liverpool have essentially confirmed an exit for one elite star. It comes after a €16.6m contract agreement was confirmed.

Liverpool announced a new contract for Ryan Gravenberch on Saturday. The midfielder has tied his long-term future to the Reds and instantly makes himself one of the best-paid players at the club.

It's the continuation of a wonderful success story for Gravenberch. He was a gamble from Liverpool back in 2023 but has gone on to establish himself as a truly elite player and one who will now form the backbone of this team going forward.

However, this €16.6m-a-year contract (per De Telegraaf) doesn't come simply. It's one that will naturally affect other contract talks that Liverpool have going on - and we feel it confirms at least one exit.

Ibrahima Konate: Situation Summary

Contractual Stand-off and Real Madrid Interest

Konaté is in the final months of his current deal, which is set to expire on 30 June 2026. While Liverpool have reportedly submitted their most lucrative salary offer to date in a final attempt to retain him, no breakthrough has been reached. Since 1 January, the 26-year-old has been free to negotiate pre-contract terms with clubs outside England. Reports from BILD and DaveOCKOP as of 5 March indicate that Konaté has "mentally closed the book" on his time in Liverpool and is now the "number one target" for Real Madrid. The Spanish club views him as a world-class, cost-effective replacement for ageing defenders like Antonio Rüdiger and David Alaba, especially as he would command no transfer fee.

Performance and Personal Challenges

The 2025/26 season has been a testing one for Konaté, both on and off the pitch. He took compassionate leave in January following the death of his father, missing three matches before returning early to help a depleted Liverpool defence. While his form earlier in the season was subject to criticism, head coach Arne Slot and captain Virgil van Dijk have both praised his recent resurgence, with Van Dijk labelling him "outstanding" and a "world-class centre-back." He has made 169 appearances for the club since his move from RB Leipzig in 2021, and despite the transfer noise, he remains a key starter in Slot’s immediate plans.

Succession Planning at Anfield

Liverpool’s hierarchy is already preparing for a future without the Frenchman. The club has finalized the £60 million signing of Jérémy Jacquet from Rennes, who will join the squad on 1 July 2026. Additionally, the Reds are reportedly scouting Club Brugge’s 21-year-old defender Joel Ordonez as a potential direct replacement for Konaté. While Arne Slot has publicly stated the club's desire for Konaté to stay, the lack of a signed extension suggests the 3-1 FA Cup win over Wolves on 6 March may be one of his final significant contributions in a Liverpool shirt.

Ibrahima Konate's contract

Ibrahima Konate's contract expires at the end of the season and it doesn't look likely that he'll get a new one. Liverpool want to give him a new one but it's clear that the two parties are some ways apart on what that contract is worth.

Reports indicate that Richard Hughes has been in talks for around 18 months with Konate's representatives. That hasn't brought about a deal, however, and Gravenberch's expensive deal doesn't make things easier.

Konate, after all, will want to match it. He's primed to succeed Virgil van Dijk, has been at the club longer, and will naturally consider himself to be the senior player.

But is he going to get a near-£300k offer? If Liverpool believed he was worth that, the deal would be done. They plainly don't, however, and this Gravenberch deal makes it plainly clear that the money is there but it won't be going to Konate.

And thus it's easy to feel like this new contract has sealed Konate's exit from Liverpool.

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