Ibrahima Konate contract decision nears as Liverpool consider January transfer option

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Ibrahima Konate is approaching the final six months of his contract and Liverpool face a difficult centre-back choiceHere we go. While the Premier League ramps up for another hectic festive schedule - even without the usual Boxing Day fayre - those with a preference for transfers ahead of tactics are rubbing their hands together at the prospect of another January window opening.And the New Year could have a pivotal bearing on both the immediate and long-term future of Liverpool's rearguard.Speaking last week, Reds boss Arne Slot played down the possibility of a new centre-back being recruited next month, despite Liverpool having shown their hand somewhat when coming close to signing Marc Guehi for £35million on deadline day in September only for Crystal Palace to pull the plug at the last minute.READ MORE: Alexis Mac Allister change now clear as Liverpool approach contract decisionREAD MORE: Micky van de Ven reveals Alexander Isak response after messaging injured Liverpool strikerThat apparent shift in priority is all the more intriguing given the one central defender Liverpool did bring in during the summer, teenager Giovanni Leoni from Parma, was ruled out for the season after injuring his ACL towards the end of his impressive debut in the League Cup win over Southampton in September.Throw in the intermittent availability of Joe Gomez and the current fitness concern over occasional centre-back Wataru Endo, Liverpool have become almost exclusively reliant at the heart of the backline on the long-established partnership of Ibrahima Konate and captain Virgil van Dijk.Indeed, the pairing has started together in every Premier League and Champions League game this season, along with the Community Shield loss to Palace.While the fact Konate and Van Dijk avoided any significant injury concerns during that period will have been a source of relief for Slot, the lack of obvious competition for too often in the season has meant the former in particular has had to play his way back into form after a torrid period as Liverpool slumped to nine defeats in 12 in all competitions.As Slot admitted following the tumultuous 3-3 draw at Leeds United earlier this month, Konate has been "too much at the crime scene" after the Frenchman blotted his copybook after a decent display by gifting Leeds the penalty that allowed them back into the game.There have been other mistakes, most notably against PSV Eindhoven.

But Konate has had no option but to front up game after game, Liverpool unable to take him out of the firing line. It hasn't been an easy time.But recent evidence suggests the 26-year-old may have turned a corner, impressive in the wins at both Inter and, last weekend, Tottenham Hotspur.Yet if talk over his performance levels may be easing, the debate will now spark over Konate's future and that of the centre-back area in general for Liverpool.With the defender out of contract at the end of the season and talks having reach an impasse over a new deal, from next Thursday he will be able to negotiate with clubs from outside England over a potential free transfer next summer.Real Madrid may have backed away from a possible move, but rumours continue of interest from the likes of Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.And that doubt over Konate's future will surely influence whether Liverpool make another concerted effort to sign Guehi in January, albeit mindful they could snap up the player for nothing in six months and that they now face strong competition from the likes of Bayern and Manchester City.That Konate was missing from training on Tuesday ahead of Saturday's Premier League visit of struggling Wolves was an unwanted reminder of the lack of options at centre-back, with Gomez already a confirmed absentee alongside Leoni and Endo.It leaves the prospect of Ryan Gravenberch having to drop in alongside Van Dijk or teenager Wellity Lucky, who made his debut against Palace in the League Cup and has been training regularly with the first team of late, being handed a Premier League bow.Fears over his absence serve to underline how Konate remains a vital proponent for Slot and his next career decision will have ramifications for Liverpool.

The clock is ticking on more than just the Frenchman's time at Anfield.