France defender Ibrahima Konate, who joined from RB Leipzig, has developed into a partner for Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk while competing regularly with former Cameroon defender Joel Matip.
Now one of the world’s leading centre-backs, the 25-year-old defender has a contract with Liverpool until June 2026. Beyond this summer, he will have only a year to live, putting him in the same situation as Mohamed Salah, Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold this season.
Liverpool and the French defender have been in ongoing discussions with his club since last year, but so far no agreement has been reached. The player is reportedly also waiting for the departure of Salah, Van Dijk and others, but is also aiming for a significant increase in salary.
According to The Times, the French defender, who currently receives a salary of £80,000 per week, is seeking a 2.5 times increase to £200,000 per week when he signs a new contract.
If he gets the new salary, he would get a salary close to that of the Dutch national team defender and would be one of the top five weekly salaries at the club. Although no detailed figures are available, he is expected to receive the third highest salary, behind Salah and Van Dijk, according to international website Spotrac.
He has made 126 appearances for Anfield so far, and has also been on the pitch for 21 games for the national team. He has secured an absolute starting place under Arne Slot and has supported a dominant and solid defence, especially in the first half of the season.
He has all the abilities required of a modern centre-back, such as one-on-one defence, coverage, height and ball-handling, and his feeding up front is also improving. Many opposing teams defend to eliminate passes from his partner Van Dijk, so many games are kick-started by a pass from Konate.
Liverpool’s final line is conceding more goals as the second half of the season progresses. The French defender, who is expected to play the role of defensive leader in the future, may be due to assess which direction the slot system will take.
From Liverpool’s point of view, they would like to achieve a new contract as soon as possible, but how will it be settled…?