Journalist suggests Arne Slot has done something ‘telling’ in relation to Ibou Konate’s future | OneFootball

Lewis Steele has suggested that Arne Slot recently dropped a ‘telling’ clue regarding his stance on the future of Ibrahima Konate at Liverpool.

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY

The defender has just four months remaining on his contract at Anfield, with a pivotal decision awaiting him and the club over the next dozen weeks.

The Reds head coach said earlier this month that talks are ongoing over a potential renewal and that ‘we wouldn’t be in negotiations if we didn’t want him to stay’, while trusted journalist Paul Gorst indicated that recent developments over a prospective new deal have been ‘more promising‘.

Slot recently dropped ‘telling’ clue over Konate

In his latest Liverpool Confidential feature for Mail Sport, Steele noted how Slot publicly declared the club’s intentions to keep Konate (whereas that didn’t happen when Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk were in a similar situation this time last year) as a ‘telling’ hint of how keen LFC are to hold onto the Frenchman.

The journalist wrote: ‘No concrete updates have been offered in 2026 but he is certainly not as clear-cut a candidate for leaving Liverpool as he may have been. Even Slot openly discussing the club’s desire to keep him was telling – he did not do that with Salah or Van Dijk last year until new deals were close to being signed [in April].

‘Just like the hierarchy did not panic about Slot’s future based on a few bad months, the club would not have let a tough start to the season cloud their judgment on Konate. They, rightly so, are desperate for him to renew.’

(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Hopefully Konate and Liverpool can soon end contractual uncertainty

The latter months of 2025 were arguably Konate’s worst at Liverpool, with the centre-back frequently culpable of errors which resulted in some strongly-worded criticism of his performances, and at that point it seemed as though his days at Anfield may have been numbered.

However, since returning from the death of his father a month ago, the Reds’ number 5 has looked rejuvenated on the pitch, and his rapid ascension in form has helped Slot’s side to three consecutive wins and clean sheets.

That Steele has said LFC are ‘desperate’ for the 26-year-old to renew his contract – on top of the head coach’s public declaration to that effect – shows just how intent the club are to keep hold of the France international, if an agreement can be struck between now and June.

According to Capology, Konate is currently on £70,000 per week at Liverpool – the lowest of any regular starter in L4 – and the defender may duly feel justified in asking for a substantial increase, especially now that he’s in what should be his prime footballing years.

On the pitch at least, he’s certainly going the right way about earning a contract extension. So long as that form continues and there’s no major stumbling block in negotiations, we should hopefully see him commit his long-term future to the Reds before too long.