Liverpool have made their play. The club are moving to secure Ibrahima Konaté’s future at Anfield, closing in on a new deal that would shut the door on a free transfer and shut out a queue of European giants.
The exact length of the proposed contract remains under wraps, but the intention is obvious. Konaté, 26, had been heading towards the end of his current deal, able to walk away for nothing at the end of the season. Liverpool are not about to let a starting centre-back, in his prime, drift off the books for free.
That decision carries consequences far beyond Merseyside.
Across the continent, several of Europe’s biggest clubs had been circling, sensing opportunity. Real Madrid, in particular, are understood to have placed Konaté right at the top of their defensive shortlist, viewing him as a potential cornerstone for their next back line.
The timing mattered for Madrid. The Spanish giants face the prospect of losing two pillars of their defence in a single summer. David Alaba’s exit is widely expected once his contract runs down, and uncertainty still hangs over Antonio Rüdiger, whose own deal is also approaching its end. Konaté, on a free, would have been the ideal solution: proven at the highest level, yet still with years ahead of him.
If Liverpool complete this extension, that option disappears. Madrid, and the rest, are forced back to the drawing board.
They are not alone in having to rethink. FC Bayern Munich also explored a move for Konaté, at one stage viewing him as a possible answer to their own defensive dilemma. With Dayot Upamecano long linked with a departure, Bayern weighed up a French international replacement to fill the void. Upamecano’s decision to extend his contract with the German champions changed the picture in Munich, and now Konaté looks set to be taken off the market altogether.
For Liverpool, this is about more than blocking rivals. Konaté has grown into a central figure since arriving from RB Leipzig in 2021 for €40 million. This season, under Arne Slot, he has been a regular presence, amassing 42 appearances in all competitions and chipping in with two goals. More importantly, he has become a key part of the structure, trusted to anchor a defence in transition after a period of upheaval.
Allowing that kind of asset to leave for nothing would have been unthinkable for a club trying to build a new cycle under a new manager. Instead, Liverpool are moving early, acting with the decisiveness that Europe’s elite recognise all too well.
If the deal is finalised as expected, Konaté stays in red. Real Madrid, Bayern and the rest will have to find their defensive cornerstone somewhere else.
