Exclusive: Liverpool set for ‘final talks’ with £35m beast as two European giants wait to pounce | OneFootball

Liverpool are reportedly set to make one ‘final’ attempt to try and keep hold of an important member of Arne Slot’s squad.

There have been several high-profile departures from Anfield over the summer, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Caoimhin Kelleher, Jarell Quansah, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez all leaving the Reds since the end of last season.

There’s also been plenty of incoming transfer activity, and Giovanni Leoni looks set to be the latest addition in L4, with the teenage centre-back arriving on Merseyside today ahead of undergoing a medical as he closes in on a £26m move from Parma.

While Liverpool are on the cusp of securing one central defender, another who’s already at the club faces continuing uncertainty over his future.

Ibrahima Konate is into the final year of his contract at Anfield, and CaughtOffside have reported that there’s ‘no current indication of a positive breakthrough’ in negotiations between player and club.

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Liverpool set to hold ‘final talks’ with Konate in search of contract resolution

According to sources close to Empire of the Kop, the 26-year-old’s future will now depend on ‘final talks’ with FSG over his long-term career plans, with Merseyside chiefs seeking to reach agreement on an extension to his current deal and willing to offer him a significant pay rise.

If there’s no sign of a breakthrough in negotiations, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are both planning to move for him next year, when he’d be available on a free transfer. Liverpool turned down a £43m bid from Chelsea, as they don’t want to sell to a direct domestic rival.

Konate is understood to favour a move to Spain, although Los Blancos are reluctant to pay a fee for him this summer when they could land him for nothing in 2026.

However, according to Marca (via Football Espana), LFC are determined to avoid a repeat of the scenario which saw Alexander-Arnold run down his contract on Merseyside before moving to the Bernabeu earlier this year.

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Losing Konate on a free transfer would be a hammer blow for Liverpool

Since arriving from RB Leipzig for £35m four years ago (BBC Sport), Konate has formed an imperious centre-back partnership with Virgil van Dijk, with that duo forming the bedrock of Liverpool’s Premier League title triumph last season.

The Frenchman may feel justified in seeking an increase on his current £70,000-per-week wage, which puts him at the lower end of the scale within Arne Slot’s squad (Capology) despite him being our sixth most-used player in 2024/25.

With Leoni’s imminent arrival finally bringing the Reds back to an ideal complement of four natural centre-backs, it’d be a hammer blow to lose our number 5 in the next few months if he and the club are unable to reach an agreement over a new deal.

The prospect of Konate joining Real Madrid on a free transfer would also be hard to stomach for Liverpool fans after the sour way in which Alexander-Arnold’s Anfield career ended prior to his move to the Bernabeu at the start of the summer.

Hopefully all parties involved can reach an amicable agreement which’d keep the France international on Merseyside throughout his peak footballing years.