Ibrahima Konate makes ‘difficult’ Liverpool contract admission | Football | Sport

Liverpool star Ibrahima Konate has voiced his frustration over the speculation surrounding his future, stating it is “putting him in a tight spot” with fans who “don’t even know all the ins and outs.” The French defender is in the final year of his contract at Anfield, and while there are rumours of a contract extension, whispers of a move to Real Madrid have also been circulating – a path previously taken by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The potential loss of another key player on a free transfer would be a blow for Liverpool, as Konate is currently Virgil van Dijk’s preferred defensive partner. He joined the Reds from RB Leipzig in 2021 and has since become a regular fixture in the team. Last season, Liverpool had to navigate persistent speculation about the futures of Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Van Dijk, with the latter two eventually signing new contracts.

Now, the spotlight is on Konate, and the 26-year-old insists that some media reports about his next move are inaccurate, which is causing unnecessary disruption.

In an interview with TF1 ahead of France’s victory over Azerbaijan, where Les Blues conceded early before rallying to win, the Liverpool star said: “It’s difficult, we can’t say everything because a lot of things are already being said in the media.”

The defender also claimed that the reports that have filtered out won’t have sat well with the Liverpool faithful, who ultimately don’t know the whole story. “Some of the things that I read, I’m like… oh la la,” he said.

“That puts me in a tight spot with Liverpool fans, and they don’t even know all the ins and outs.”

Real Madrid have become masters at exploiting the free transfer market. Just over 12 months ago, they secured Kylian Mbappe without paying a penny when he allowed his Paris Saint-Germain deal to expire.

Their chase for Alexander-Arnold has been widely documented, and previously they snapped up Antonio Rudiger following his Chelsea departure.

Liverpool had targeted Marc Guehi during the summer window and were pursuing the Crystal Palace star right until the dying moments of deadline day. His contract runs out next summer and the Eagles eventually withdrew from sale discussions.

The Reds had brought in Giovanni Leoni from Parma, though he suffered an early setback that has sidelined him for the entire campaign.