Liverpool within touching distance of Ibrahima Konate decision

Liverpool are facing a contract crisis over Ibrahima Konate. The Frenchman was signed by Jurgen Klopp back in 2021 - for a £35m fee from RB Leipzig.

Since then the centre-back has taken quite some time to establish himself as an undisputed starter at Anfield. But he turned a decisive corner last season - forming half of the Premier League title-winning partnership with Virgil van Dijk.

Konate is out of contract in 2026 - with the club and the player’s entourage remaining quite some way apart in contract talks.

The France international, 26, was reported to be close to a renewal last season but negotiations were halted as the club failed to meet Konate’s demands.

Konate knocks back Liverpool

He is reported to be seeking a contract worth around £200k per week - and if Liverpool fail to match those demands then he could leave on a free transfer for Real Madrid.

However there are suggestions that contract talks are about to take positive twist. With Konate starting the season in poor form, it was claimed last week that Real Madrid were going cold on the idea of signing Konate on a free transfer.

And now L’Equipe in Konate’s home country is claiming that Liverpool are growing confident of landing a new deal for Konate.

Liverpool CONFIDENT of Konate agreement

“Liverpool's management began initial talks a little less than a year ago to extend the contract of their French defender, whose contract expires in June,” the report states.

“The initial offer in December bore little relation to the former RB Leipzig defender's status as a starter.

“The talks, which had been suspended for several months - the former Sochaux player intended to remain focused on his season - resumed in the spring.

“Liverpool restructured their offer several times. A new proposal from the Reds was made about two weeks ago.

“With a certain progress? Discussions are still ongoing. A number of elements remain to be decided. The English club's leaders remain confident that the transaction will be finalized.”

Guehi and Araujo also linked

If Liverpool cannot come to a contract agreement with Konate’s entourage over a new deal then it is likely the Anfield side will move for another centre-back.

The likes of Marc Guehi and Ronald Araujo have been suggested as senior options while youngsters like Ajax duo Aaron Bouwman and Youri Baas have also been linked.

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