Why Ibrahima Konate Is ‘Set’ to Leave Liverpool

Money doesn’t appear to be the only factor behind Konaté’s reported exit.

Ibrahima Konaté (left) is reportedly eyeing up an Anfield exit. | Catherine Ivill/AMA/Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

Negotiations between Liverpool and Ibrahima Konaté over a new contract have come to an unsuccessful conclusion after no “common ground” could be found, multiple reports have claimed.

Without any extension in sight, the French center back is set to become a free agent when his current deal expires on June 30, following the path trodden by Trent Alexander-Arnold last summer.

As recently as April, Konaté declared to assembled reporters that there was a “big chance” he would remain at Liverpool. “This is what I’ve always wanted,” he explained.

However, it has now been claimed that Konaté will in fact leave Anfield this summer, as talkSPORT were the first to report. Sky Sports News swiftly supported that speculation, revealing that even after long negotiations between the player and club, they “could not find common ground” over the terms of a new agreement.

The weeks that followed Konaté’s public declaration were devoid of any official confirmation from the club. It was then reported that the two parties were still at a “stalemate.” Now it appears as though Konaté wasn’t bluffing over his demands.

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What Has Ibrahima Konaté Asked for?

It looks likely that Ibrahima Konaté won’t agree a new contract. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images

Konaté signed for Liverpool in 2021 as a 22-year-old with a strong record at RB Leipzig but still yet to make his senior international debut. The terms of the contract he signed at that time would have reflected that status and are thought to be in the region of $201,000 (£150,000) per week.

It was claimed earlier this season that Konaté was demanding a new salary “in line” with the club’s top earners—although there are no suggestions that he was expecting sums as swollen as the likes of Virgil van Dijk or Mohamed Salah, two of the highest paid players on the planet, let alone just at Liverpool.

“I didn’t even ask for something from the club,” Konaté has insisted in the past. “They made me an offer, and I replied to them with something, that is it.” That reply would be called a counter-offer and it appears as though Liverpool weren’t willing to accept those terms.

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Money Not the Only Factor for Konaté

Konaté’s situation has been rumbling on for months. | Liverpool FC/Getty Images

The drawn out nature of these negotiations have undoubtedly been impacted by Liverpool’s underwhelming season. Champions League qualification, and the riches that come with it, was not confirmed until the final game of the campaign, ensuring that the Reds couldn’t offer sums they weren’t sure they would have.

In stark contrast to Liverpool’s uncertainty, several rival clubs have shown increasingly “concrete” interest in snapping up the potential free agent, as L’Équipe report.

Real Madrid’s interest in Konaté was thought to have been quashed back in November but the landscape in the Spanish capital has changed drastically since those reports. Xabi Alonso, previously at the Bernabéu helm, has been credited with interest in Konaté after taking over Chelsea while Bayern Munich are also thought to be admirers of a player with ample Bundesliga experience.

For Konaté, the future is littered with a myriad of choices. Only one destination seems to be off the table: remaining at Liverpool.

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