Ibrahima Konate decision ‘expected imminently’ with just 36 days left on Liverpool contract | OneFootball

We know that Mo Salah and Andy Robertson played their final game for Liverpool on Sunday, but could that also be true of Ibrahima Konate?

The French defender – who turns 27 today – is now just 36 days away from becoming a free agent, with his current contract rapidly expiring and no definitive answer yet as to whether or not he’ll sign a new deal.

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It’s now been five weeks since the Reds’ number 5 publicly proclaimed that he and the club were ‘close to an agreement’, but with that being the length of time he has remaining on his current terms, fans could be forgiven for growing impatient in waiting for a resolution to the saga.

Ben Jacobs hints at ‘imminent’ decision on Konate’s future

When the Liverpool starting XI for the season-ending fixture against Brentford was named on Sunday afternoon, much of the attention was understandably focused on the inclusions of Salah and Robertson for their Anfield farewell.

Journalist Ben Jacobs on X also referenced a 36th Premier League start of the campaign for Konate, along with the eye-catching statement that ‘clarity over his future’ is ‘expected imminently’.

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Konate remains vital to Liverpool despite difficult season

Liverpool have previous for allowing contracts to go close to expiring before a resolution is struck (think back to Salah and Virgil van Dijk last year), but allowing the uncertainty over Konate’s future to rumble on for this long is concerning.

We understand that contract negotiations are quite complex and it isn’t simply a matter of agreeing a wage and signing on the dotted line, but it seems that the specifics of a prospective deal for the Frenchman are particularly difficult to nail down if it hasn’t been sorted by this stage.

The 27-year-old has had a very difficult season on and off the pitch, losing his father in January and often being criticised for a number of below-par performances, but an arduous campaign for the Reds would’ve been even worse if they didn’t have him to call upon.

Amid a glut of lengthy injuries to Liverpool defenders, Konate maintained fitness throughout the last nine months, starting all 46 Premier League and Champions League games (out of 50 in total) for which he was available.

Whatever details might be delaying an agreement over a new contract for the centre-back, we very much hope those will be resolved soon and the club will be able to announce that the France international is staying put for another few years.