Liverpool made shocking contract offer to Ibrahima Konate

Liverpool and Ibrahima Konate are soon parting ways.

The France defender, 27, was signed by the Reds back in 2021 from RB Leipzig for £35m. Over the years he grew into a top performer - clinching the 2024/25 Premier League title in tandem with Virgil van Dijk.

Talks over a new deal are reported to have first commenced back in November 2023 - but no breakthrough could be reached. Konate spoke out a few weeks ago about the potential of a deal and at one stage it looked close.

But Liverpool ultimately lost out with Ibou now expected to join Real Madrid on a lucrative deal.

The Spanish capital side have slid an unbelievable offer across Konate’s desk - said to be worth £83m in wages alone before a £17m welcome bonus in factored in.

Konate lowballed by Liverpool in talks

It’s unlikely that Richard Hughes would have been willing to match those terms - wages which would have put Konate beside Van Dijk as the team’s top earner on £400k per week.

But details of Liverpool’s offer have now been leaked to Football Insider - with it being claimed that the Reds’ decision-makers LOWBALLED Konate in conversations.

“Ibrahima Konate high wage demands "killed" contract talks with Liverpool,” the report reads.

“Konate wanted an increase on the deal that he signed when he joined from RB Leipzig in 2021.

“But Liverpool were not willing to meet the centre-back’s demands to have a higher package and instead offered him only what is said to have been a "similar" package to the one he was already on.

“This, combined with additional costs to the player such as agent fees, eventually led to talks over a new deal collapsing.”

Gravenberch and Gakpo got bumper new deals

Konate was reportedly earning around £150k per week during the lifecycle of his first Liverpool deal. Given his status as a Premier League winner he will have been well entitled to think he could earn a pay rise.

Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo both got bumper deals last season - said to be worth £277k per week and £250k per week respectively.

But in Konate’s case FSG and Richard Hughes were simply not prepared to meet those demands.

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