With Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konaté’s current contract set to expire next summer, he will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club in just 98 days—on January 1 next year.
Nearly a year has passed since Liverpool’s Sporting Director Richard Hughes initiated preliminary contract extension talks with Konaté’s representatives, yet reaching an agreement has proven extremely difficult.
This situation bears striking similarities to that of Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold last season: both were high-value players entering the final year of their contracts, with Real Madrid closely monitoring them, eager to sign them on a free transfer once their contracts expired.
Of course, Real Madrid was eager to sign the right-back a month early back then to have him available for the Club World Cup, ultimately paying an £8.4 million transfer fee.
Both Liverpool’s hierarchy at Anfield and Konaté’s camp have remained tight-lipped about the transfer offers for Konaté and the terms of the contract extension.
Last season, Liverpool also adopted the same stance regarding the contract disputes involving Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Alexander-Arnold, as they sought to avoid any unnecessary distractions.
Time is pressing, but the defending champions have yet to come to terms with the possibility of losing Konaté. According to a source close to Konaté (speaking anonymously to maintain their position), reports from Spanish outlets claiming that Konaté has committed to following in Alexander-Arnold’s footsteps by joining Real Madrid are inaccurate.
If the deadlock is not resolved, he will almost certainly receive offers from top European clubs other than Real Madrid to join as a free agent. However, his sole focus at present is on achieving more success with Liverpool, and his future has not been finalized.
Following summer signing Giovanni Leoni’s knee injury during his EFL Cup debut against Southampton on Wednesday—a setback that could see him sidelined for a lengthy period—Konaté has become more crucial than ever to Arne Slot.
Leoni’s serious injury has inevitably reignited regrets over Liverpool’s failure to complete the signing of Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi before the transfer deadline earlier this month.
The situation would undoubtedly have been different if Crystal Palace had not suddenly changed their mind at the last minute and refused to sell their captain.
As an established England international, Guehi would have been a strong contender for Konaté’s starting spot alongside Van Dijk. With Joe Gomez being the only other senior centre-back remaining at the club, the pecking order at the position has become even clearer.
Even if Liverpool had signed Guehi for £35 million, they would not have added another centre-back to the squad. At the time, both AC Milan and Brighton were pursuing Gomez, meaning he would almost certainly have left the club.
Slot also believes that midfielder Wataru Endo and left-back Andy Robertson can fill in at centre-back if needed in the coming months. Ryan Gravenberch has also dropped back from midfield to play the position on occasion, but deploying the Dutchman there would weaken the team’s midfield strength.
