Ibrahima Konate is still not close to agreeing a new contract with Liverpool and the situation could have ramifications beyond the France international
Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool
Ibrahima Konate of Liverpool(Image: Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
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Precious little has been straightforward for Liverpool this season. And another reminder of this arrived on Monday evening.
The news the Reds are no closer to agreeing a new contract with Ibrahima Konate less than two weeks before the end of the season will have come as a jolt to those supporters who believed the centre-back's deal was mere formality.
Certainly, Konate painted such a picture when asked about his future last month.
"For a long time we have spoken with the club and we are close to an agreement," said the Frenchman. "For sure, there is a big chance that I'm here next season. This is what I've always wanted."
Now, though, the picture has been muddied by the revelation the prospect of a deal is as uncertain as it has been since it was first publicly addressed by Konate back in January 2025.
For their part, the belief around Liverpool has always been an agreement hasn't been as close as the player intimated. Both sides remain at the negotiating table but, given Konate is out of contract at the end of next month and will be with France for the World Cup from early June onwards, time is running out to reach an accord.
Inevitably, the discussion revolves around money and exactly what the player is worth.
Konate and his representatives can point to the 26-year-old being a regular in last season's title-winning team, accruing almost 200 appearances for the club, featuring in four domestic finals and a Champions League final, and being a squad regular with France and playing in the last World Cup final.
Liverpool, though, can highlight such an argument is diluted by the player's erratic form over the past 12 months at a time when his performance levels should have been justifying a weighty pay increase.
And what happens with Konate could provide a major pointer regards the future direction of Liverpool's squad strengthening under Fenway Sports Group.
Despite having, by the standards of leading clubs, a small number of senior players, the Reds last season had the highest wage bill in the Premier League.
There's a reason for that. Liverpool's policy in recent years has been to invest heavily in elite players, which in their case has often meant agreeing lucrative new contracts with personnel already in their squad such as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. The view is it would be more difficult and more expensive to replace them.
But even the very best cannot go on forever, and this season has perhaps underlined the issues that come with their inevitable decline. Paying big money to retain underperforming players, no matter how good they used to be, doesn't make any great business sense. It maybe explains why Salah, Liverpool's highest earner, is being permitted to leave on a free transfer.
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Of course, it seems reasonable to surmise a club with such a high wage bill would be willing to offer the going rate for players of Konate's stature. Whether that aligns to how the defender views his own standing is the situation that must now be resolved.
Arsenal have taken a different approach in recent years and, rather than investing heavily in the wages of individuals, chose quantity over established quality. And given the increased physical nature of the Premier League this season, their greater strength in depth has been a chief reason they, barring a collapse for the annals, will be crowned successors to Liverpool as champions next week.
Now, though, they are edging towards a similar stance as the Anfield side, with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel and William Saliba all penning big-money deals in the last 12 months.
Liverpool's disappointing season indicates few if any players can at present be regarded as truly elite. Some are more influential and impactful than others, yes. But the Reds, in terms of their salaries, are now very much at the end of one cycle.
What happens with Konate - do Liverpool stand by what they regard a fair value for the player or reach a compromise? - may tell us how the next era will look.
There's no question Arne Slot would prefer Konate to stay, in spite of his fluctuating form this season. Van Dijk will be 35 in July and should now be in a position where he can be rotated to remain fresh, rather than having played the most minutes of any player in Europe's top five leagues this season.
The Dutchman is attracting interest from Galatasaray, with reports in Turkey indicating they are prepared to go big to tempt the Liverpool captain. The Reds, as yet, have received no contact from the newly-crowned Super Lig champions.
Joe Gomez has cast doubt over his future, while in the injured 19-year-old Giovanni Leoni and 20-year-old Jeremy Jacquet, who will arrive from Rennes in the summer, The Reds have invested almost £100million in two centre-backs who will start next season having never played a single minute in the Premier League.
Liverpool need to keep hold of their more experienced defenders. But not at any price. It's what makes the Konate situation so intriguing.