Liverpool remain absolutely committed to handing Ibrahima Konate a new deal at Anfield despite his woeful form of late and amid some very strongly worded criticism from Anfield faithful towards the Frenchman and a Reds teammate.<\/p>\n
Konate<\/a> has been strongly linked with a free transfer move to Real Madrid for the best part of a year now with his contract at Anfield due to expire in summer 2026. And with negotiations yet to see an agreement reached, Liverpool<\/a> were fearful for several weeks that they would lose a second defensive star in successive summers to the Spanish giants.<\/p>\n But as rumours of a move to the Bernabeu heated up, Konate\u2019s form took a nosedive. And with the player dropping a long way off his consistent best, the trusted journalist David Ornstein shared the news last week that Real Madrid are no longer keen on a deal and will instead pursue other targets.<\/p>\n With Los Blancos seemingly out of the picture, our correspondent Dean Jones revealed last week how Liverpool now had a newfound confidence that a contract extension for Konate was now a matter of when not if.<\/p>\n However, some increasingly dubious performances by the player of late have left some fans wondering if the Reds would be better off moving away from the Frenchman and letting him walk away as a free agent after all.<\/p>\n Despite that, the Daily Mail\u2019s Liverpool expert, Lews Steele, is adamant that retaining Konate is a big priority at Anfield.<\/p>\n Per Steele, the Reds view Konate not only through the lens of recent displays, but through the broader picture of a defender who played a key role in last season\u2019s title triumph under Arne Slot. The idea of judging a player solely on a short dip is rejected internally.<\/p>\n And as Steele highlights in his Daily Mail column<\/a>, \u2018Liverpool will not write off their defender on the back of his recent drop in form\u2019, and with one senior figure suggesting that they fully expect the star to soon recover his best form.<\/p>\n From Konate\u2019s perspective, there still remains a gap between the parties, though the Reds do now feel that\u00a0\u2018Konate\u2019s hand has been weakened by a string of poor performances in recent weeks\u2019, while the absence of Real Madrid<\/a> interest further plays into Liverpool\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n As for the reasons behind Real\u2019s U-turn on a deal, Steele confirms they are instead looking at other options, though at the same time, Xabi Alonso is content and \u2018comfortable with\u00a0Dean Huijsen and Eder Militao as his defensive duo\u2019.<\/p>\n GO DEEPER<\/strong>\u00a0\ud83d\udd34\u00a0Salah and Konate the headline names of six stars Liverpool must move on from in 2026<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Liverpool fans fuming at Konate\u2019s displays<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite that, there is a growing portion of Liverpool fans who have questioned Konate\u2019s performances and asked whether his inconsistent performances justify the significant salary increase he is seeking.<\/p>\n Expressing their concerns after the lethargic 1-1 draw against Sunderland at Anfield on Wednesday night, supporters took to X to express their frustrations with the player \u2013 and his teammate, Joe Gomez.<\/p>\n \u201cNot sure what planet Ibou Konate is on this season, but it certainly isn\u2019t Earth, all over the place yet again,\u201d one fan wrote on the social media platform.<\/p>\n Another added: \u201cI can\u2019t believe some of the things Konate is doing out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Irish businessman, Liverpool fan and Peterborough United chairman\u00a0Darragh MacAnthony also described the player as \u201cBambi on ice\u201d during an interview with Sky Sports and having also expressed concern at his form.<\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t the only Liverpool defender who was torn apart on social media, though, with fans also irate by the performance of Joe Gomez as a stand-in right-back.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe Gomez is the worst player I\u2019ve ever seen for Liverpool, he\u2019s terrible. I\u2019m embarrassed to watch him play for us. Closely followed by Konate,\u201d one fan posted.<\/p>\n Another fumed: \u201cGet Joe Gomez and Konate off the squad.\u201d<\/p>\n A third joked: \u201cI\u2019d rather have Salah play right-back than Joe Gomez.\u201d<\/p>\n Latest Liverpool news: Bundesliga sensation eyed; fans turn on Slot<\/strong><\/p>\n Meanwhile, Reds supporters have also vociferously turned on Slot following the draw with the Wearsiders at Anfield.<\/p>\n Off the back of that disappointing draw, an increasing number are now demanding the sack, having picked out four \u2018horrible\u2019 signs in the game, while an extremely worrying admission from the manager shows how far the Reds have fallen<\/a>.<\/p>\n On the transfer front, sources can reveal Barcelona have made two formal approaches to Marc Guehi\u2019s representatives in the past fortnight<\/a>, intensifying their efforts to lure the Crystal Palace captain to the Camp Nou and land a brutal transfer blow to Liverpool.<\/p>\n