Liverpool must allow Ibrahima Konate to leave when his contract expires at the end of the season after their 3-0 humbling by Manchester City, where the defender delivered another underwhelming performance as the Reds suffered their fifth Premier League defeat of the campaign.
The French centre-back has been below par throughout his final contract year and faced heavy criticism once again on Sunday alongside teammate Florian Wirtz, with Liverpool dominated by the hosts at the Etihad Stadium.
It was Konate’s error that led to Man City’s penalty in the first half when he clumsily cleared the ball off Jeremy Doku, though Giorgi Mamardashvili went on to save the spot kick.
Moments later, the France international was beaten in the air by Erling Haaland, who opened the scoring for City in the 29th minute. He was also partially at fault for the hosts’ third goal after failing to close Doku down.
Liverpool fans have once again been vocal about Konate’s poor display, branding the Frenchman a ‘liability’. He also received a 3/10 rating for his performance against City in what was another disappointing outing for Arne Slot’s side.
Liverpool Must Let Ibrahima Konate Go
Ibrahima Konate in action for Liverpool
Konate has been strongly linked with a Liverpool exit in recent months, with talks over a new contract yet to reach breakthrough.
The French defender, who earns £140,000 a week on his current deal, is one of three first-team players whose contracts expire at the end of the campaign, along with Andy Robertson and goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.
Konate has been linked with interest from Real Madrid amid the uncertainty surrounding his future at Anfield, with the Spanish giants reportedly considering a move similar to the Trent Alexander-Arnold situation last summer, when he joined Los Blancos on a cut-price deal.
However, if Konate’s poor form continues, it is far from guaranteed that Real’s interest in the defender will materialise, particularly with several top-level centre-backs expected to be available as free agents after the season.
That includes Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, who came close to joining Liverpool during the final hours of the summer transfer window.
The Reds were on the verge of finalising the deal for the England international before Palace pulled out, having failed to secure a replacement in time with only hours remaining in the market.