Konaté stalls on new Liverpool deal | OneFootball

Ibrahima Konaté is hesitating over committing to a new contract at Liverpool, sparking concerns within the club that another core player may allow his contract to run down following Trent Alexander-Arnold’s summer exit to Real Madrid.

The French centre-back is set to enter the final 12 months of his contract next month and is believed to have turned down Liverpool’s opening proposal for a renewal.

Negotiations with Konaté were postponed last season as Liverpool prioritised talks with Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, both of whom agreed fresh two-year extensions in April.

Only after finalising Van Dijk’s deal did the club shift attention to his defensive partner. Konaté, 26, is reportedly unhappy with the terms on offer and, according to the Guardian, the defender's camp are said to be pushing for an improved base salary, as Liverpool’s initial offer is weighted heavily toward appearance and performance incentives.

If no agreement is reached before the end of the window, Liverpool could face a difficult situation, particularly in the wake of the fallout from Alexander-Arnold’s switch to Real Madrid. Although the club ultimately received £10 million due to Madrid’s urgency to secure him ahead of the Club World Cup, the fee fell well short of his true market worth.

Andy Robertson is also approaching the final year of his contract, and Liverpool are open to a sale to Atlético Madrid should the Scotland international express a desire to move on. Meanwhile, backup goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher recently completed an £18m transfer to Brentford, with only a year remaining on his deal.

Liverpool intend to revisit discussions with Konaté later in the summer but remain firm that they won’t be pressured into offering above their valuation. After an active start to the transfer window - having spent a combined £145.5m to secure Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong - central defence remains the one unresolved area for Arne Slot.