Why Ibrahima Konate called off Liverpool contract talks

The situation with Ibrahima Konate is perilous and Liverpool are at risk of losing him.

As we've seen with Trent Alexander-Arnold, contract talks are paramount and if Konate's aren't brought back on track, then the French centre-back's future will become increasingly uncertain.

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His current deal is not up until 2026, but allowing him to start next season - the final year of his contract - without an extension agreed is asking for trouble. Rival clubs are then no longer able to offer Liverpool a fee for him, and losing another star for free would be disastrous to say the least.

As such, the conversations happening this summer are massive. Liverpool have to find a way to convince Konate to stay - beyond winning the Premier League and spending money on transfer signings - or allow Paris Saint Germain to explore a move for him to reinvest in the squad.

What's the current reason for talks breaking down?

French website L'Equipe's report seems to have all the answers behind the stalled negotiations.

According to their understanding: "Liverpool submitted an initial proposal in December, which the player's representatives deemed highly insufficient. At the time, both sides agreed that, to preserve the defender's peace of mind, it was necessary to postpone discussions until the end of the season.

"Discussions resumed at the end of March, without any significant progress being made so far.

"Very recently, new negotiations took place between the Frenchman's agents and Richard Hughes, the sporting director. They will resume in one to two weeks with one goal for Liverpool: to conclude the deal before the end of the summer."

As such, we are not quite yet at the point of no return, hope is still out there for both parties.

Presumably, the issue is wages rather than length of contract. Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Conor Bradley have all agreed new deals in the last two months and their packages should reflect their abilities and the points they're at in their careers. Konate will no doubt want a similar reflection.

Following four years at the club, the Frenchman has excelled to a really high level, playing alongside the Reds' captain to create a formidable centre-back pairing that clubs across Europe have admired.

But the problem is this: Konate's ability to deliver without Van Dijk beside him is still being questioned.

For the French national team, the 25-year-old performs well regardless of who he partners, so perhaps his under-performance at times is down to the standard that Jarrell Quansah and Joe Gomez are performing to. If Jorrell Hato is brought in, then that will no longer be an excuse.

However, the demands that Konate has regarding his contract need to make sense. Not just to reflect the level that he is at, but within the overall wage structure that Liverpool are operating with.

If each party's proposals are miles away from each other, then the Reds will have to see him on.

Of course, that is going to be a last resort. The shopping list is already pretty long before we consider having to replace Konate this summer, but if it is necessary, then Liverpool will sanction it.

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PSG are waiting in the wings for the Frenchman and there will be no hesitation to let him go.

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