Liverpool fans might have thought Ibrahima Konate had turned a corner.
Earlier in the season his form had been erratic. Even head coach Arne Slot admitted that the 26-year-old had been too often “at the crime scene” with errors littering his game.
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But in the last few weeks the Frenchman has genuinely improved. He’s been commanding and assured alongside Virgil van Dijk once again – showing the kind of form which brought home the Premier League title last season.
All of that went out of the window on Tuesday night however as Konate struggled against Galatasaray in the Champions League.
Erratic Konate returns versus Gala
The France international endured a couple of high-profile gaffes – and failed to get to grips with the threat of Victor Osimhen throughout. He was also poor in his distribution – punching in only 69 percent in completed passes.
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Konate gave away SIX of his eight attempted long balls and won only half of his ground duels. The defender’s ability to win headers kept his rating relatively high – but overall this wasn’t good enough from Ibou.
And it once again brings his contract back into focus.
Is Konate worth the price of a renewal?
It’s no secret that Konate is out of contract at the end of the 2025/26 season. The player and his entourage were reported to be asking for £200k for a renewal – but will Richard Hughes believe Konate is worth it?
On his best form there are few better partners for Van Dijk out there. But this was a return to the shaky Konate of earlier in the season.
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Without the guarantee of consistency then the Liverpool sporting director may pass on the deal.
Real Madrid can afford Konate’s wage demands – and will also sweeten the deal with a £13m welcome bonus.
Maybe it would be better for Liverpool to identify some more up-and-coming talents – as they have done with Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet – and pay for those instead.
Because right now Konate is losing leverage in contract talks.
If he truly wants to stay and become one of Liverpool’s top earners then he needs to end these displays. Otherwise the smartest thing to do could be to cut him loose.
