Ibrahima Konaté will leave Liverpool on a free transfer when his contract expires in June this summer after talks over a new deal fell through.
France defender Konate, who joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2021 for £35m, had been in talks with the club since November 2023. Both sides were initially optimistic about reaching an agreement, with Konate saying after the Merseyside derby in April he was “close to an agreement” and there was a “big chance” he would stay at Anfield next season.
But a gap in valuation and wage demands has stalled progress and discussions have now stopped altogether. Liverpool are braced for the possibility of losing another senior player for nothing, following the departures of Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah this summer.
It is a situation that is reminiscent of the departure last year of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who signed for Real Madrid CF shortly before the end of his contract after the Spanish club agreed a fee for his early release ahead of the Club World Cup.
Liverpool’s defensive resources are starting to look stretched. Club captain Virgil van Dijk – whose own deal runs out next summer – and Joe Gomez would be the only experienced centre-backs left in the squad.
The club had tried to strengthen that area after failing to sign Marc Guéhi before last September’s deadline day, with the defender eventually moving to Manchester City in January.
Liverpool are still confident in their younger defensive options despite injury concerns. Jeremy Jacquet followed us this summer in a £60m deal after making 21 appearances for Rennes last season, although the 20-year-old missed the final four months of the campaign through injury.
Teenage defender Giovanni Leoni, who joined from Parma last year, also faces a lengthy recovery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
There is a growing sense within the club that adding to other areas of the squad takes precedence over throwing huge wages at keeping Konate. Replacing Salah and dealing with the injury absence of Hugo Ekitike are understood to be higher on Liverpool’s agenda.
Liverpool have been willing to let key players leave for nothing in recent years. Roberto Firmino left in 2023, with former manager Jürgen Klopp publicly stating he wanted Firmino to stay.
Midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum also departed as a free agent in 2021, having started all 38 of his Premier League appearances in his final season at the club.
Others such as Emre Can, Adam Lallana, James Milner, Naby Keïta, Divock Origi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also left Anfield without generating transfer income for the club.
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