Journalist: Liverpool are ‘desperate’ to agree new deal for defender | OneFootball

Ibrahima Konate Contract Talks Signal Liverpool’s Defensive Future

Credit to Lewis Steele of The Daily Mail for highlighting a situation that feels increasingly urgent at Anfield. Ibrahima Konate’s contract clock is ticking, and with July 1 edging closer, Liverpool find themselves at a crossroads.

Had supporters been told in autumn that Konate would drift to within four months of free agency, many may have been unmoved. His early season form was patchy. Arne Slot’s withering assessment that he was “too much at the crime scene” after a chaotic 3-3 draw at Leeds United lingered. It was a phrase that cut deep, even if it was quickly overshadowed when Mohamed Salah claimed he had been “under the bus” moments later.

Between late September and early December, Liverpool won just four of 15 games. Konate struggled, as did many. Yet seasons bend and shift. Fast forward to spring and the Frenchman looks restored, calmer in possession, sharper in duels, and once again a defender capable of dominating elite forwards.

Photo: IMAGO

Form Revival Changes Narrative

Konate’s resurgence complicates what once felt straightforward. “Forget that dip in form and take Konate’s five years at the club in the round – extending the defender’s contract must be top of Liverpool’s priority list in the next three months,” Steele writes. It is hard to disagree.

Liverpool have been proactive. Slot confirmed, “We are in talks with him so that tells you what we want. It’s clear we would like him to stay but negotiations are ongoing so let’s see where that ends. We wouldn’t be in negotiations if we didn’t want him to stay.” That candour is significant. Last year, similar transparency around Salah or Virgil van Dijk only arrived when agreements were near completion.

Defensive Succession Planning

Konate’s age, 26, places him perfectly between eras. With Van Dijk turning 35 in the summer, Liverpool must prepare for transition. Young prospects Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni are promising, but raw. Konate could anchor the present while guiding the future.

There are other signals too. Real Madrid’s interest appears to have cooled. Steele notes no concrete updates in 2026, but also suggests he is “certainly not as clear cut a candidate for leaving Liverpool as he may have been.” The club’s hierarchy, who resisted panic during Slot’s rocky winter, seem similarly steady here.

Human Touch Beyond Contract Saga

Moments matter. At Nottingham Forest, Konate handed a journalist his match worn shirt in appreciation for dates given during Ramadan. It was a small act, yet emblematic of a player comfortable in his surroundings.

Liverpool’s task is simple, though hardly easy. Secure a defender entering his prime, or risk watching five years of development walk away for nothing. In a squad seeking stability, that decision may shape far more than one contract cycle.

Our View – Anfield Index Analysis

From a Liverpool supporter’s perspective, this feels like a defining summer. Konate has endured scrutiny before, and this season has tested him, but the broader sample size matters. Over five years, he has shown he can defend one on one against the fastest forwards, dominate aerially, and carry the ball into midfield when required.

There is also context. Liverpool’s structural issues earlier in the campaign left defenders exposed. When midfield protection faltered, centre backs were dragged into spaces no defender thrives in. Judging Konate solely on that autumn slump would be shortsighted.

Fans will note Slot’s openness. Publicly stating “we would like him to stay” suggests confidence rather than desperation. It hints that Liverpool believe common ground can be found.

Letting a 26 year old centre back of this calibre leave on a free would feel like a failure of planning. Renewing him would send a different message, that Liverpool remain proactive, ambitious, and clear about their defensive future.