‘He was saying…’ – Paul Gorst drops Ibrahima Konate contract claim which hints at major twist | OneFootball

With Ibrahima Konate about to enter the final year of his contract at Liverpool – and Real Madrid reportedly lurking – a major decision on his future will soon need to be made one way or the other.

Transfer insider Graeme Bailey recently claimed that the 26-year-old is demanding ‘big money’ in order to sign a new deal at Anfield, having said in May that there had been no discernible progress in negotiations.

Earlier this week, Football Insider reported that LFC wanted his future resolved by the end of the summer transfer window, in order to avoid a repeat of the long-running uncertainty which had surrounded Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold for most of the 2024/25 season.

All that would suggest that Konate could viably be sold in the next few weeks if no resolution could be found, but one reliable journalist has now hinted that there could be a positive twist in store for Liverpool.

Paul Gorst hints at Konate potentially staying at Liverpool

Speaking to Dan Clubbe for The Redmen TV, the Liverpool Echo’s Paul Gorst said of the Reds’ number 5: “I don’t think he’ll leave this summer. I think Liverpool will look to take a little bit of a Van Dijk, Salah chance on tying him down during the season.

“He seems very happy and settled at Liverpool. He was speaking after the [Crystal] Palace game last month to us, which was his 26th birthday, and he was saying that talks had stepped up the previous week with his representative and the club.

“He seemed quite positive over the developments there, so let’s wait and see what happens with that one. I just can’t see him being sold now.”

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Gorst’s update offers renewed hope of Konate signing a new contract

Could we yet see Konate agreeing a new contract at Liverpool in the coming months?

With Jarell Quansah reportedly closing in on a £30m move to Bayer Leverkusen (The Telegraph), Arne Slot would probably be far from gleeful at the prospect of losing two senior centre-backs in the same transfer window, hence the growing interest in Marc Guehi.

If LFC are to convince the Frenchman to sign a new deal, they’ll surely have to offer him a substantial increase on his purported current wage of £70,000 per week (Capology), which is quite low in relation to the rest of the squad considering how integral a presence he’s been at Anfield.

As it stands, Konate will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club from January onwards, so that gives FSG a clear time target in which to try and persuade the 26-year-old to remain at Liverpool. His apparent happiness on Merseyside should hopefully help in that regard.

Gorst’s assertion that talks over a new deal for our number 5 have seemingly ‘stepped up’ offers genuine hope that, despite many recent suggestions from elswhere that the France international could soon be on his way out, he might instead commit his long-term future to the Reds.

Fingers crossed for further positive developments in the coming days and weeks!