Reports indicate that Liverpool have finally reached an agreement with Ibrahima Konate on a new contract.
TEAMtalk claim that “Konate’s camp has reached broad agreement on a new long-term contract at Anfield.”
The French defender is out of contract on 30 June 2026 so any late contract agreement will truly be arriving at the 11th hour, and will greatly simplify the Reds’ summer transfer plans. A new centre-back in addition to Jeremy Jacquet is still needed, however.
The report continues: “The Reds had set an internal deadline of Easter to resolve Konate’s future and that target now looks set to be met following significant progress during the recent international break.
“Earlier this year, Liverpool made it clear they believed they had placed their strongest possible offer on the table for the 26-year-old centre-back.
“Sources indicate that the financial package is effectively agreed, with only the finer contractual details still to be finalised. There is growing optimism within the club that the deal will be completed before the end of the month, securing Konate’s long-term future on Merseyside.”
Meanwhile, L’Equipe journalists Loïc Tanzi and Hgo Delom report that there is not yet an agreement, but that it is a matter of time.
Their report reads: “Ibrahima Konaté has been in talks with Liverpool for 18 months, with no agreement yet after an initial offer was deemed too low.
“Talks were paused but have since resumed. The most likely outcome is that the defender signs a new deal, with his current contract set to expire this summer.
“Liverpool and Konaté have never been CLOSER to reaching an agreement, although details still need to be finalised. Real Madrid are among admirers, but the expectation is that Konaté stays and wants his future resolved within the next few weeks ahead of the FIFA World Cup.”
[?] NEW: Ibrahima Konaté has been in talks with Liverpool for 18 months, with no agreement yet after an initial offer was deemed too low. Talks were paused but have since resumed.
The most likely outcome is that the defender signs a new deal, with his current contract set to… pic.twitter.com/mI7jArHxtf
— Anfield Sector (@AnfieldSector) April 6, 2026
Liverpool need to get this deal done: Konate is still one of the best centre-backs in Europe
While there is no doubt that the 2025-26 season has been his worst since Konate joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in a £31m deal in 2021, he is not the only player to have heavily regressed under Arne Slot. Even Virgil van Dijk looks like a shadow of the player who dominated during last season’s Premier League title triumph.
Konate is a rare breed of pace, strength, and aerial dominance, but appears to be playing with a total lack of confidence.
The best way to gauge if Liverpool should allow him to leave for free or keep him for the long term is by assessing how many players there are that are both better than him and available for transfer.
There aren’t many players out there on the same level as Konate that Liverpool can go out and get this summer, so they are right to do their utmost to keep him.