Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on November 08, 2024 in Kirkby, England. (Phplaceholder image
Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on November 08, 2024 in Kirkby, England. (Ph | Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Liverpool have a couple of players out of contract next summer
Liverpool have some contract issues to resolve ahead of 2026 as they look to avoid a repeat of the 2024-25 campaign with talks over new deals dominating the off-pitch discussion.
Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold spent a large part of the most recent season with questions over their respective futures at Anfield. The former two penned new contracts in April but Alexander-Arnold rejected offers from Liverpool to join Real Madrid.
Liverpool did manage to bank a £10m fee for the right-back in the end with Madrid eager to get him on board for the Club World Cup, which started with Alexander-Arnold still under contract.
Ibrahima Konaté rejects Liverpool offer as talks stall
Meanwhile, a report from The Guardian has claimed that Konate has rejected Liverpool’s initial contract offer. It comes over a disagreement on wages. The defender is “disappointed” by the salary strutcue and “his representatives are believed to be pushing for a higher basic wage”.
The initial offer from Liverpool saw his wages determined by performance targets. Talks with Konate are set to be revived later in the summer. The plans for new talks come with Real Madrid lurking for Konate.
The Spanish club are said to be ready to sign the Frenchman on a free contract next summer as they look to snap up another Liverpool star. There is no Club World Cup next summer, so Real would be able to sign Konate completely for free. While they had to pay £10m for Alexander-Arnold, it is still only a fraction of the player’s value.
Arne Slot a big fan of Konate’s defensive capabilities
Liverpool boss Arne Slot reserved some praise for Konate during last season as he said: "He's already very good. He's a centre-back who, without even touching the ball, is impressive because he is so strong and tall.
"One of the things he could improve is his play with the ball, bringing the ball out from the back. I would not say he was poor in that but he could improve and go to another level.
"He works really hard to improve that and I already see this improvement. Defensively, he is of the highest standard. He's fast, he's strong, he wins duels. He can cover for his team-mates as well if needed.
"Defensively, there is not a lot he can improve. From all the ball possession we have, we would like to create even more chances than we are doing now and that starts from bringing the ball out from the back."
Liverpool have a major decision to make, however, if the player opts against a new contract.
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