Richard Hughes scores another contract win as Ibrahima Konate commits

Liverpool have been facing a contract crisis over Ibrahima Konate.

The France international signed for the Reds back in 2021 - joining from RB Leipzig for a £35m fee. He finally established himself as the preferred partner to Virgil van Dijk last season - helping Arne Slot’s side to the 2024/25 Premier League title.

But in the background has always been uncertainty over Konate renewing his deal. Sporting director Richard Hughes is reported to have been locked in talks with the France international over the course of the last 18 months.

And with no agreement in sight it appeared inevitable that the 26-year-old would be leaving on a free transfer. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Chelsea are just a flavour of the team keen to add Ibou.

Now following a dramatic contract U-turn it now appears that Konate is going to stay on Merseyside for the long-term.

Konate agrees to stay with Liverpool

TEAMtalk is reporting that a breakthrough has been reached over the course of the international break and that an announcement of a new deal is now imminent.

Ibrahima Konate’s camp have reached broad agreement on a new long-term contract at Anfield,” the report reads.

“The Reds had set an internal deadline of Easter to resolve Konate’s future and that target now looks set to be met following significant progress during the recent international break.

“The financial package is effectively agreed, with only the finer contractual details still to be finalised. There is growing optimism within the club that the deal will be completed before the end of the month.

“Barring any dramatic twists, everything now points to Konate staying with Liverpool for the foreseeable future.”

Richard Hughes scores another big contract win

It’s not yet known how long Konate has been tied down for - nor the wage package Richard Hughes has agreed to pay the Frenchman.

Given he was reported to be seeking around £200k to £250k per week it’s not going to be a cheap deal by any stretch of the imagination.

But following on from the renewal for Ryan Gravenberch - at an overall cost of €100m in wages - this can go down as another major contract win for the Liverpool sporting director. We now await the official word.

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