Ibrahima Konate has signed a lucrative new sponsorship deal as he continues to be linked with a move away from Liverpool. The towering defender has just entered the final year of his contract and is yet to sign fresh terms. It has led to speculation that he could depart Anfield on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Real Madrid are said to be interested in bringing Konate to the Spanish capital in the near future. It comes just months after they raided Liverpool for the services of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who decided against signing a new deal in order to join Los Blancos. Only time will tell if there is a repeat scenario with Konate when his contract expires in a year's time.
In the meantime, Konate has boosted his bank balance by signing a lucrative sponsorship deal with Under Armour. The new agreement will see him wear football boots provided by the American sportswear giant.
Commenting on the deal, Konate said: "I'm proud to be representing Under Armour, a brand with a history deeply rooted in performance and innovation, that shares the same drive, mentality and values as me.
"I am a big fan of the edge they are bringing in football and I look forward to taking my career to the next level with them, both on and off the pitch."
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It remains to be seen if Konate's new sponsorship deal will be a sign of things to come. Alexander-Arnold was also signed to Under Armour before switching to Adidas ahead of his move to Real Madrid earlier this year.
Last month, it was reported that Real Madrid had reached out to Liverpool to express an interest in signing Konate. It was also said that Anfield chiefs are said to be open to the idea of selling the defender, rather than losing him for nothing in a year's time.
It has been claimed that around £43.5million would be enough to tempt the Premier League champions into doing business. They are not in the strongest position to negotiate, though, given Konate's contract situation.
Earlier this year, he admitted that he had already turned down a proposal from the Reds, saying: "You know, I just want to say one thing. Everything you saw on social media is completely fake. I didn't even ask for something from the club.
"They made me an offer, and I replied to them with something, that is it. The rest [speculation] that I want to wait until the end, I want this... all of it is completely fake. And even the big journalists said in November I am very close to signing the deal.
"I was like: 'Ah, they have more information than me?'. It was not true at that moment and that is why I was a little bit mad because it was not true at this moment.
"I knew at one moment people would think I didn't want to sign the contract but I was never close to signing it. We will see what will happen."
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