There is “a will” from all parties for Ibrahima Konate to agree a contract extension at Liverpool in the near future, reliable journalist David Ornstein has claimed.
The Frenchman has experienced an up-and-down season to say the least, falling way below the usual expectation levels of him far too often.
While Konate has been much improved in the past few months, his performance in Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat away to Galatasaray in the Champions League was bordering on shambolic.
The 26-year-old’s Liverpool deal expires at the end of this season, so a decision needs to be made soon either way, and speaking on The Athletic FC Podcast, Ornstein claimed that the situation is a positive one currently:
“I think there’s constructive conversation around that one.I do think there’s a will on both sides, player and club, to try and find an agreement. It’s not there yet, but the conversations, from what we hear, are continuing and are pretty cordial.”
Will Ibrahima Konate sign a new Liverpool deal?
Konate is a divisive figure among the Liverpool fanbase at times, with some calling him an elite centre-back who can lead the defence after Virgil van Dijk has gone.
To others, though, he is a frustrating player who blows hot and cold, and seeing him leave on a free transfer wouldn’t be the end of the world.
Konate signing a contract extension still feels like the preferable outcome, however, and Van Dijk has made it clear that he wants him to remain a teammate beyond this summer, saying:
“Obviously I want him to stay. He’s an important figure on the pitch. That’s what everyone sees but off the pitch as well, he’s one of the leaders. He’s outstanding and in my eyes, a world-class centre back.”
Konate staying put is arguably the likeliest outcome, but if that does happen, it is time for him to go the next level in his career, becoming genuinely top-class on a weekly basis.
He has so many attributes, with concentration potentially the one thing holding him back too often, and it’s now a case of eventually showing he can do it without Van Dijk marshalling him.