A lot of the media coverage around Liverpool thus far has been on the number of players they’re wanting to sign before the start of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.
Liverpool may be flying high after wrapping up the Florian Wirtz deal, but behind the scenes, there’s still plenty going on at Anfield — especially when it comes to contract renewals.
While Milos Kerkez is expected to be the next name through the door, the focus is shifting to the players already in the squad, particularly those with contracts expiring in the next 12 months. And fans are rightly getting anxious, especially after how the Trent Alexander-Arnold situation played out.
One name drawing concern right now? Ibrahima Konaté.
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Konaté staying put… for now
There have been a few unsettling rumours lately, especially with Real Madrid reportedly monitoring Konaté’s situation. With Madrid already swooping in for Trent, fans are nervous about losing another key player — and for nothing.
But according to Paul Gorst of Liverpool ECHO, Konaté seems settled. Speaking on the Redmen TV Podcast, Gorst shared a promising update:
“Konaté… I don’t think he’ll leave this summer. I think Liverpool will take a bit of a Van Dijk or Salah approach — try to tie him down during the season. He seems happy and settled.”
Gorst even mentioned that Konaté spoke after the Crystal Palace match about how contract talks had already begun and sounded pretty upbeat about where things were headed.
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Liverpool must not repeat the Trent mistake
Let’s be honest — Konaté and Van Dijk are one of the best centre-back partnerships in the Premier League right now. They were a huge part of Liverpool’s defensive strength last season and played a big role in the title win.
With Jarell Quansah heading to Bayer Leverkusen in a £35m deal, that defensive burden is only going to grow heavier for the duo. Liverpool can’t afford to lose Konaté, especially not for free.
If there’s any risk of a contract standoff, Arne Slot and Richard Hughes need to either get a renewal locked in fast — or consider cashing in while they still can. But ideally, fans will want to see Konaté sticking around for the long haul.
He’s not just a top defender — he’s the kind of player that makes you believe Liverpool can dominate again next season.