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Ibrahima Konate and his contract situation at Liverpool is a saga that has been quietly bubbling away in the background, eclipsed by the club’s high-profile transfer business this summer as well as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure.

As things stand, the French defender is set to enter the final year of his deal amid mounting interest from European giants Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

This summer is already the last opportunity for the club to make any money on the sale of the 25-year-old defender.

The situation has drawn uncomfortable parallels to the Alexander-Arnold saga, with Liverpool desperate to avoid another high-profile free transfer departure

Discussions, which began back in October 2024, have progressed slowly with a significant gap remaining between the club’s offer and the player’s expectations.

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

Reports indicate he is now seeking a major pay rise to around £200,000 per week—a 150% increase that would put him among Liverpool’s top earners.

But now Lewis Steele of the Daily Mail has provided a positive update.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the reporter believes that Konate will ultimately end up staying due to his interactions with the Frenchman:

“If you asked me about Konate a month ago I would’ve said I would’ve been worried about him.”

“The fact he has a year left and Madrid want him, but what he has said to us since when I’ve spoken to him at games has calmed my feelings on that and I think he will end up extending.”

“That’s my gut feeling, but a month ago I wasn’t so sure.”

Konate actually hit out at some of the “social media” speculation around his contract extension, speaking after the title ceremony at Anfield on May 25:

“I just want to say one thing: everything you saw on social media is completely fake.

The rest, that I want to wait until the end (of his contract), all of it is completely fake.”

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