Report: Liverpool set Ibrahima Konate deadline as Real Madrid seek to exploit contractual impasse | OneFootball

In a fortnight’s time, Ibrahima Konate will enter the final year of his current contract at Liverpool, who could soon be faced with a massive decision regarding the 26-year-old.

Graeme Bailey recently claimed that the Frenchman is demanding ‘big money’ in order to sign a new deal at Anfield, with the transfer insider also stating in May that talks between player and club haven’t seen any discernible progress over the past few months.

That concerning impasse could be music to the ears of Real Madrid, who according to Jose Felix Diaz for Marca (via Football Espana) have identified the Reds’ number 5 among a list of targets who they could potentially seek to sign on a free transfer in 2026.

Having already been through the protracted saga of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s fractious move to the Bernabeu this year, Liverpool appear keen to avoid a repeat of another such soap opera.

Liverpool set August deadline for Konate contract resolution

According to Football Insider, Anfield chiefs want Konate’s future sorted one way or another by the end of this summer and aren’t prepared to wait until January for a decision, as at that point he’d be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club if he hasn’t penned a new deal with LFC beforehand.

The 26-year-old continues to be viewed as a crucial player in Arne Slot’s line-up and the Reds’ hierarchy are expected to try and accelerate talks with the defender in the coming weeks. The end of August has been set as a deadline for a resolution to the current standoff.

If, in two months’ time, it seems evident that the Frenchman mightn’t extend his deal at Liverpool, FSG could then be open to transfer offers in the final fortnight of this summer’s transfer window.

(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Liverpool skating on thin ice over huge Konate dilemma

With Alexander-Arnold already gone and Atletico Madrid eyeing a raid for Andy Robertson, LFC face the unenviable prospect of losing three of the most regular starting back four from last season if they don’t make any headway over a new contract for Konate.

It’d be a mammoth blow to the Premier League champions if they were to sell the 26-year-old this summer, and although Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez are very good options to have in the squad, realistically Slot would probably be clamouring for a top-level centre-back to be brought in should our number 5 depart.

However, given the choice of selling the Frenchman in the next two months and reaping a decent fee for him, or keeping him on for another season but losing him on a free transfer (possibly to old foes Real Madrid), we suspect many Reds fans – and indeed FSG – would opt for the former scenario.

Konate is on £70,000 per week according to Capology, which places him in the middle of the pay scale at Anfield despite him being a core starter and vitally important performer, so it’d be quite understandable if he feels frustrated that his true value isn’t being recognised internally.

Let’s hope that, in the next few weeks, he and Liverpool can come to an amicable agreement which’d keep him on Merseyside for the long-term and prevent any possibility of him walking out the door for nothing next year or being reluctantly sold this summer.