‘Disappointed’—Liverpool Star Rejects Contract Offer, European Giants Linked | OneFootball

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konaté is reported to have turned down the club’s contract offer, raising the possibility that he could leave Anfield within the next 12 months.

Linked with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, Konaté is out of contract next summer, at which point he could move on as a free agent if no new deal is agreed.

The Guardian describes Konaté as “stalling” on a new contract, having rejected Liverpool’s first proposal. He is “disappointed” with the structure of the terms offered, which features significant performance-related incentives. The centre back’s agent is pushing for a higher guaranteed salary.

Konaté has previously struggled with injuries and 2024–25 was the first time since joining the club he’d played more than 22 games in a Premier League season. That alone might explain Liverpool’s preference for greater emphasis on incentives, rather than handing out huge guarantees.

If there is no resolution, the Reds might have to consider selling the France international, to avoid a repeat next summer of this year’s Trent Alexander-Arnold loss.

Ibrahima Konaté is seeking more in guaranteed salary. / IMAGO/Sportimage

Liverpool might typically start new contract talks with players two years before a deal is due to expire. But where discussions with Alexander-Arnold became delayed due to uncertainty in 2023 over Jürgen Klopp’s future, Konaté took a backseat to drawn out negotiations with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. Perhaps worryingly for Liverpool fans, it was during the wait for meaningful talks that Alexander-Arnold had his head turned by Real Madrid and decided to leave.

Liverpool are believed to be interested in England and Crystal Palace defender Marc Guéhi, for whom a deal might actually be easier were Konaté to move on.

Guéhi is also about to enter the final year of his contract and is prepared to play out the season for Palace if the right offer doesn’t materialise, which would mean leaving as a free agent in 2026.

The Eagles are understandably keen to avoid losing one of their most valuable players without a transfer fee and are therefore willing cash in while they can.

But Guéhi, also of interest to Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, is thought to want assurances of being a regular starter wherever he goes. Liverpool couldn’t offer that with Konaté still at the club, yet the situation becomes dramatically different if he isn’t.