{"id":529763,"date":"2025-10-26T19:53:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T19:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/529763\/"},"modified":"2025-10-26T19:53:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T19:53:23","slug":"centre-back-makes-decision-over-contract-offer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/529763\/","title":{"rendered":"Centre-back makes decision over contract offer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>                <img decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"1200\" height=\"673\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/w=1200,h=673,fit=cover,q=90,g=face,dpr=1,f=auto,scq=50.jpeg\" alt=\"Richard Hughes Liverpool 2024-25\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n                                \u00a9 IMAGO &#8211; Richard Hughes Liverpool 2024-25\n                            <\/p>\n<p><strong>Liverpool have got several issues to solve at centre-back. The issues began back in the summer transfer window. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Owing to a failure to land Marc Guehi on deadline day, the Reds looked a player light in the position heading into the rest of the season.<\/p>\n<p>                            Article continues under the video<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in the window they\u2019d sold Jarell Quansah &#8211; replacing him with untested youngster Giovanni Leoni. Their problems were compounded when Leoni, 18, suffered a season-ending injury on debut.<\/p>\n<p>Right now Arne Slot has only got three senior centre-back options at his disposal in Virgil van Dijk, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anfieldwatch.co.uk\/liverpool-fc\/players\/ibrahima-konate\/\" title=\"Ibrahima Konate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ibrahima Konate<\/a> and Joe Gomez. And there is trouble coming down the track over Konate &#8211; who is out of contract in 2026.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>            Konate says NO to Liverpool<\/p>\n<p>Konate\u2019s uncertain contract situation is one of the big reasons we\u2019ve seen the Reds linked with so many centre-back options of late.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.anfieldwatch.co.uk\/liverpool-fc\/news\/nico-schlotterbeck-is-liverpools-biggest-transfer-yet\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-as-button=\"false\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Nico Schlotterbeck, Ronald Araujo and Jan Paul van Hecke are just a selection of the names <\/strong><\/a>associated with a move if Konate ends his time with the Premier League champions.<\/p>\n<p>And now that looks like an increasing likelihood according to a new <a href=\"https:\/\/defensacentral.com\/fichajes\/movimiento-confirma-konate-esta-muy-cerca-irse-real-madrid_322804_102.html\" target=\"_blank\" data-as-button=\"false\" rel=\"noopener\">report <\/a>in Defensa Central.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Madrid-based media outlet, the 26-year-old has informed Liverpool that he will not be renewing his contract and that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anfieldwatch.co.uk\/liverpool-fc\/news\/liverpool-transfer-news-the-falling-dominoes-which-could-see-real-madrid-get-deal-for-ibrahima-konate\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-as-button=\"false\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>he intends to sign for Real Madrid<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>            Konate wants Madrid deal<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe French defender has already confirmed to Liverpool that he will not renew his contract,\u201d a report reads.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis desire is to sign for Real Madrid, a club with which he has been in contact for months and with which he will negotiate a new contract starting in January.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor now, the only movement from the club has been to confirm whether Konat\u00e9 is willing to come. The financial terms of the transfer will be discussed in due course.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe club will repeat the Alexander-Arnold deal with Konat\u00e9 from last summer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/public.png\" alt=\"Ibrahima Konate Liverpool \"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n                \u00a9 IMAGO &#8211; Ibrahima Konate Liverpool\n            <\/p>\n<p>            Konate&#8217;s contract demands revealed<\/p>\n<p>France international Konate joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig back in 2021 &#8211; for a fee of around \u00a335m.<\/p>\n<p>Last season he became a Premier League titleist alongside Van Dijk &#8211; with Liverpool hoping that Konate would go on to star for the club in the long term.<\/p>\n<p>However it appears that Konate has now given the club a definitive \u2018no\u2019 in contract talks &#8211; with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anfieldwatch.co.uk\/liverpool-fc\/news\/liverpool-transfer-news-real-madrid-ibrahima-konate-outraged-by-dramatic-contract-u-turn\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-as-button=\"false\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>his previous demands<\/strong><\/a> reported to be \u00a3200k per week.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udd34 <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.ikhnaie.me\/click.html?wgcampaignid=1523405&amp;wgprogramid=7413\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Shop the LFC 2025\/26 adidas home range<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">\ud83d\udc49\ud83c\udffb <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anfieldwatch.co.uk\/liverpool-fc\/news\/liverpool-dominik-szoboszlai-best-right-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Liverpool have a NEW right-back and he&#8217;s the best in the world<\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">\ud83d\udc49\ud83c\udffb <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anfieldwatch.co.uk\/liverpool-fc\/news\/liverpool-transfer-news-england-star-marc-guehi-crystal-palace\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Marc Guehi is COMING: Liverpool will agree deal to sign England star<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">\ud83d\udc49\ud83c\udffb <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anfieldwatch.co.uk\/liverpool-fc\/news\/liverpool-legends-son-is-now-an-elite-centre-back\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Liverpool legend&#8217;s son is now an elite centre-back<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a9 IMAGO &#8211; Richard Hughes Liverpool 2024-25 Liverpool have got several issues to solve at centre-back. The issues&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":529764,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[748,393,4884,179,1127,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-529763","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-liverpool","12":"tag-liverpool-transfer-news","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529763","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=529763"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/529763\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/529764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=529763"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=529763"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=529763"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}