Konaté ends five-year Liverpool stay as contract talks collapse


By Trust Ittai 


France international defender Ibrahima Konaté will bring his five-year spell at Liverpool to an end when his contract expires next month, the Premier League champions announced on Sunday.

The 27-year-old centre-back joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2021 in a deal worth £36 million ($48 million) and had indicated in April that he was close to agreeing a new contract with the club.

However, British media reports suggest negotiations eventually broke down over wage demands, paving the way for Konaté to depart as a free agent. 

He follows Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson in leaving the Mersey side club at the end of the season.

In an emotional message posted on social media, Konaté expressed his disappointment at not being able to bid farewell to Liverpool supporters following the club’s final home game of the campaign against Brentford.

“Anfield is truly a special place, and playing in front of you was something I never took for granted,” Konaté wrote. “At that moment, I didn’t know it would be my final time wearing this shirt in front of you.”

Konaté played a key role in Liverpool’s Premier League title-winning campaign in the 2024/25 season, forming one of the league’s most formidable defensive partnerships alongside captain Virgil van Dijk.

During his time at Anfield, he also helped the Reds win two League Cups and the FA Cup, while finishing as a runner-up in the UEFA Champions League in 2022.

His departure marks the end of a successful chapter at Liverpool, where he established himself as one of the club’s most dependable defenders and a fan favourite.

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