Richard Hughes hopes to agree deal after being locked in talks for 15 MONTHS

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes hopes to finally close a deal after 15 months of talks. Can he get it over the line?

Richard Hughes has had a strange 18 months as Liverpool sporting director. His first summer involved signing a backup goalkeeper who wouldn't arrive for a year, failing to sign Martin Zubimendi right at the finish line, and then bringing in Federico Chiesa as an opportunistic transfer late in the window.

Other than that, it was just player sales.

Then the season was bizarre, honestly. Hughes faced tremendous pressure throughout as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk went through contract negotiations with under a season to go on their deals.

None of them renewed before April, by which point Liverpool had won the league. The Reds would then lose Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid before embarking on the biggest transfer window in their history.

Over £400m was spent on new players, with Liverpool twice breaking their transfer record. It was sensational stuff - even if it hasn't necessarily brought about a better team.

As we say - a strange 18 months. And even stranger, he's been involved in the same contract talks for around 15 of those.

Ibrahima Konate's contract talks

Ibrahima Konate is coming to the end of his Liverpool contract. He's yet to agree a new deal and this one expires at the end of June.

The Reds have been trying to renew the contract, though. The Times reports that talks have been ongoing for 15 months now, without a resolution.

It's difficult to even know if that resolution is more or less likely as we come to the end of the deal. All we know for sure is that there will be an answer this summer, one way or another.

There's certainly no question that things are easier if Konate stays. Liverpool know him as a player, he's proven he can deliver major trophies, and they wouldn't need to go searching for anyone new.

But that does rest on the player. Konate is free to go wherever he wants later this year and there will be a long line of suitors as he won't carry a transfer fee.

We do expect those talks to reach 16, 17 maybe even 18 months then. Hopefully, with a happy ending.

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