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French national newspaper L’Equipe has provided an update on the Ibrahima Konate situation.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure now confirmed, Liverpool are facing another contract standoff – this time with centre-back Ibrahima Konate – as talks over a new deal have stalled amid mounting interest from top European clubs, including Real Madrid.

Negotiations with the French international, whose contract runs until 2026, began in October 2024 but have since hit a deadlock, with a significant gap remaining between the club’s offer and the player’s expectations.

Konaté, 25, currently earns £80,000 per week under the five-year agreement he signed upon joining from RB Leipzig in 2021.

However, it’s reported that he is now seeking a major pay rise to around £200,000 per week—a 150% increase that would elevate him into the club’s top wage bracket.

At present, only Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Alisson are thought to earn more than £200,000 weekly at Liverpool, underlining the scale of Konate’s proposed new terms.

The club will want to avoid a Trent Alexander-Arnold situation from materializing again, and according to French outlet L’Equipe – the club are doing their best to avoid this.

Reporter Hugo Delom has claimed that fresh negotiations with Richard Hughes took place recently, and the club on their part are “calm” about talks:

“Very recently, new negotiations took place between the agents of Ibrahima Konate and Richard Hughes, the sporting director.

“They will resume in one to two weeks.

With one goal for Liverpool: to conclude the deal before the end of the summer.”

“In the Liverpool camp, people remain ‘confident’ about the finalization of the extension?

In Konaté’s entourage, they want to be “calm”, arguing that “the ball is in the club’s court'”.

However, the threat of Madrid looms large.

The Spanish club’s modus operandi – targeting high-value free agents – has already cost Liverpool one homegrown star.

With Konate’s deal expiring in 2026, the Anfield club needs to wrap things up soon before the Frenchman’s head is turned.

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