Konaté moves on: Liverpool let another defender leave as a free agent

The wait is over. Ibrahima Konaté will leave Liverpool as a free agent when his contract expires next month. Negotiations to extend the French centre-back’s contract began back in November 2023, with the club tabling a new, improved deal earlier this year but no agreement was reached and Konaté will walk away, to the club of his choice, this summer.

Ibou joined from Leipzig in 2021 after Liverpool paid his $48 million (£36 million) release clause. He moves on after making 183 appearances for the club and scoring seven goals, most of them headers from set-pieces.

Konaté had his fair share of ups and downs during his time at Anfield - he added the Premier League, FA Cup and two EFL Carabao Cups to his personal honors list and was a first-choice in the back four, partnering Virgil van Dijk, under both Jürgen Klopp and Arne Slot.

Home bargains: Liverpool’s free agents

Konaté’s departure coincides with Andy Robertson’s. The Scot’s contract was up at the end of June but his case was different. At 32, he is at the end of his career, it was time to move on and he made his intentions very clear.

What is unusual is that Liverpool’s back office have allowed three, first-choice members of the team’s defence, international players, leave as free agents in the space of one year. Trent Alexander-Arnold left in almost the same circumstances last season, and apart from the 10 million euros which the Reds received from Real Madrid as compensation for letting him leave early, Liverpool have not brought in any transfer fees for those players.

Trent had a market value of $81 million (£65 million) when he moved on last summer and Konaté, a France international, is valued at around $58 million (£43 million). For a big club like Liverpool, allowing players to run down their contracts is not a good look - especially when they are not the only ones - Mo Salah is also leaving on a free.

Where could Konaté go next?

Now that his Liverpool adventure is over, where could Konaté be heading next? Real Madrid have been delving into the free agent market in recent years to save costs and they have been linked to the French defender although that interest has since cooled. A return to Paris to join PSG and be near his family might appeal to Ibou. In recent weeks, Barcelona have also emerged as a possible destination.

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