Liverpool can ill afford to repeat the contract brinkmanship that surrounded Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah last season — and the captain himself has now said as much. His message is simple, direct, and impossible to ignore: Ibrahima Konate must stay.
When Van Dijk speaks about centre-backs, you listen. When he speaks about his centre-back partner — and calls that player “world-class”, “a leader”, and vital both on and off the pitch — you act. Liverpool would be making a serious mistake if they treated Konate’s situation as just another negotiation to manage at their own pace. The Frenchman is in his final six months, and Real Madrid have been circling for years. Other clubs have been mentioned too.
It is a familiar warning sign — one Liverpool brushed too close to with Van Dijk himself.
The captain’s comments were striking not because they were emotional, but because they were candid. Van Dijk didn’t like that his own contract dragged on; he made that clear. More importantly, he made it clear he doesn’t want Konate to endure the same drawn-out uncertainty. When your dressing-room leader publicly urges the club to sort things out, that’s not a hint. That’s a plea that should not be disregarded.
Konate’s importance to Liverpool is obvious to anyone paying attention over the last few years. Arne Slot’s praise after the win at Sunderland — highlighted by “impressed but not surprised” by the defender’s performance — summed up what we’ve seen lately. Even in moments where luck deserted him, Konate has played with authority, athleticism, and maturity. He will be central to Liverpool’s attempt to claw their way back into the Champions League picture.
It hasn’t been a smooth ride all the way for the 26-year-old France international. He has come in for some fully justified criticism, especially during the extremely poor run of results for Liverpool earlier this season, to which his own error-strewn performances certainly contributed. However, he has managed to raise his form back to his old, recognizable levels, where opposing attackers, even the best ones, find it hard to deal with his powerful presence.
And let’s be honest: signing Jeremy Jacquet for £60m in January doesn’t change the fundamental point. Quality depth is essential, but replacing Konate would cost more money, more time, and more risk than simply extending him. Losing a proven, peak-age centre-back for free, in a moment when that particular section of the squad looks rather thin, would be self-inflicted damage.
This is a crucial moment for Liverpool. The margins in the top-four race are brutal, the squad is in transition, and leadership is more important than ever. Van Dijk sees Konate as part of the solution — not a question mark. When your captain is publicly advocating for stability, you take that seriously. Also, it’s time for the Merseysiders to wipe out the problem of players leaving just as they’re about to enter their best footballing years, once and for all.
Liverpool have progressed in so many ways under their new structure, but this is where they must show decisiveness. Don’t let another contract run into the shadows of its final weeks. Don’t let Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, or any other opportunity-hunting club, sense hesitation. Don’t undermine the message coming from your own dressing room.