Liverpool facing fourth contract headache as anxious Ibrahima Konate wait goes on
A look at Ibrahima Konate's contract situation at Liverpool and what might happen next for the centre-back
Richard Hughes might be forgiven for feeling that he has been playing an endless game of contract whack-a-mole since he became Liverpool's sporting director at the start of June.
Having inherited the three major issues of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, Jarell Quansah later became another whose long-term future needed resolving, while talks also opened with Ibrahima Konate's camp.
From having three deals to sort, Liverpool suddenly had five that had supporters awaiting clarification on and if Hughes sought solace at one particular issue briefly going quiet, another quickly sprang up in its place to dominate the column inches and television minutes.
Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Van Dijk have all sought to handle their own respective impasses differently and rarely has there been a point this season when the collective problem has not been high on the agenda at Liverpool.
Performances and results have largely made the contracts more of an unwanted subplot than the major overriding and inescapable talking point and there has been little to suggest, in general terms, that they have started to bleed into what is happening on the pitch.
Alexander-Arnold's subpar display in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United in early January was untimely given Real Madrid had been rebuffed in their tentative advances just a few days prior, but on the whole, title-chasing Liverpool have made light of the fact that three of the most high-profile players are entering the final months of their deals.
Such a prospect is simply unthinkable for Arne Slot and Hughes but rather than hone in on getting those deals over the line, having concluded Quansah's terms with relatively little fuss, Konate's has since become the fourth additional task on the sporting director's to-do list.
The France international offered up before the Lille game last month that he had in fact been tabled fresh terms by the club, saying: "The club didn't say anything, I didn't say anything, it's one person that says that. I was not ready, I didn't know when he said that but after I spoke with the club. But after, I'm really focused on what happens now and we'll see what will happen."
Pressed further, he was eventually forced to concede that he had been offered a deal, before wryly stating "this is another conversation" when urged to disclose if he was close to penning it.
Since then, there has been little in the way of a further update but a conversation given to French publication Telefoot was not ideal for those hoping to hear the centre-back is edging nearer to extending his stay on Merseyside.
Asked about reported interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, Konate, in an interview that aired on Sunday morning, said: "Hearing big clubs like that being interested is very flattering, but now I'm focusing on this season.
"I want to win everything - take as many titles as possible and then everything that happens in relation to my contractual situation. It's my agents, my advisors who take care of that."
It was not exactly a nailing of colours to the Liverpool mast but for balance, Konate has never shied away from how much he enjoys life on Merseyside. He spoke with obvious affection for the club at Anfield during the Lille press conference and his appearance as part of the club's roundtable chat with Diogo Jota and Alexis Mac Allister last week showcased how much he has matured into an integral part of the Reds squad since he joined from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021, just weeks after he turned 21.
"No, I just live a dream honestly," Konate says to presenter Vicky Gomersall. "I remember before I signed for Liverpool and he told me: 'The day when you will sign for Liverpool, you will see your life change completely.' And I was like OK I can trust him but I didn't expect it like that.
"Everywhere that I travel in the world, we have so many fans everywhere and this has changed everything for me. And honestly, to be in this club, this means a lot of things because I am a part of this story and I really hope this season and the seasons of the future, we will do great things as well. I am really happy to be here and it is a dream come true."
The whacking of contract moles will no doubt go on for Hughes but Konate, whose deal runs until the summer of 2026, has given little public indication that his own situation is heading the same way as those entering their final months at Anfield, despite non-committal responses to interviews in his homeland.