Liverpool could reportedly receive a significant additional offer to retain Ibrahima Konate, despite his contract being due to expire this summer.
The France international is close to becoming a free agent, while Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk were also free agents before signing new contracts late last season.
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Konate still has time to put pen to paper on a new contract with Liverpool, and in fact, it may be becoming more and more likely as Konate has no other options.
For now, fans’ attention will be on how to buy tickets for Manchester City vs. Liverpool in the FA Cup after the international break, but many Reds supporters will also want to keep up with transfer news and rumors as we head into the summer.
And now there appears to be good reason to be optimistic about Konate’s situation, despite there being no update on his chances of agreeing a new contract with Anfield.
Other clubs have also agreed to sign the defender.
It is clear that Real Madrid have decided against signing Konate and not only have the Spanish giants informed LFC of their decision, but other clubs are thinking of doing the same.
Bayern Munich recently agreed a new contract with Dayot Upamecano, which means they are not in the market for a centre-back this summer.
Meanwhile, Barcelona were also rumored to be interested in signing Konate, but are now considering Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni as their priority instead.
This means that Konate will increasingly struggle to find a suitor, as we already know that Paris Saint-Germain do not appear to be in the competition, while it becomes difficult to see who else could afford the 26-year-old.
Liverpool’s potential defensive targets
It is not yet clear who Liverpool could sign to replace Konate, but Nico Schlotterbeck has agreed a new contract with Borussia Dortmund, leaving one option open.
Maxence Lacroix’s name has been increasingly linked with Crystal Palace, but they have just lost Marc Guéhi to Manchester City and may be less likely to sell another key centre-back for anything other than big money.
This doesn’t leave Liverpool with many options, so it could be ideal for both sides if they can finally reach an agreement on a new contract.
What do you think? Will Konate end up staying at Liverpool? Let me know your predictions in the comments!
