Dominik Szoboszlai hits back at Kylian Mbappe | OneFootball

Liverpool's transfer plans are likely to be under-wraps for a few months now, since the summer window has closed, with recruitment efforts on hold until January or at the end of the season.

But this didn't stop speculation from rising throughout the first international break after deadline day.

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Of course, players like Ibrahima Konate are still causing waves in terms of his contract standoff and unless a fee is secured for his departure in the winter, we're staring down the barrel of a free transfer.

Kylian Mbapppe, his international teammate for France, is well aware of this and since he's playing his football over at Real Madrid, the team who love to take advantage of free moves, the forward is desperately trying to convince Konate to ditch the Reds and follow Trent Alexander-Arnold to Spain.

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However, it appears as though one of the Liverpool players is trying to scupper those plans.

Szoboszlai makes his stance clear

In the Reds' most recent Inside Training video, where the players sit around and chat with each other prior to working in the gym and going out on the field to work on training drills, the Reds were given a bit of insight into how the speculation over Konate had been received back home by his teammates.

Once the Frenchman had arrived through the door, with his training bag, you could see Dominik Szoboszlai reach in and take the Frenchman's blue shirt from international duty out and wear it, which has Konate's name plastered on the back. Nothing prompted this, but it was fascinating.

While admittedly this might be a reach, it felt as though the Hungarian was trying to make light of the situation, while inadvertently alluding to what Konate had earlier revealed in the media. It looked as though he was trying to say 'he's happy here with us at Liverpool', down-trodding the speculation.

For context, on Sunday, the defender sat down with Telefoot and said: "[Kylian] Mbappe pressuring me to join Real Madrid? He calls me every two hours! [Laughs]."

Given the nature of the situation, each players actions on either side of the debate are futile.

Konate can't agree to go anywhere until January - leaving on a winter move or signing a pre-contract.

But the negotiations that Liverpool are having with the player and his representatives might be pulled from one direction into another, depending upon whether he's still open to all the available options.

The Reds have tried to tie down Konate since November 2024 and talks have seemingly gone nowhere, but optimism currently remains, given a decisive 'no' has not yet been signalled.

One thing that should be clear, which were learnt from Paul Joyce's September 7 update, which is that no one will 'beg' for Konate to stay. It's entirely his decision whether he wants to move or stay.

Liverpool fans on the other hand, might feel differently, and in the case of some of the players, notably Szoboszlai, subtle hints might be send out to clarify how some of the dressing room feels.