Liverpool contract rebel DISAPPOINTED by latest offer
Liverpool can be grateful to have Virgil van Dijk signed up to a new contract. The 33-year-old put pen to paper on a new two-year deal worth a reported £400k per week before the end of the 2024/25 season.
It gives Arne Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes and degree of certainty in planning their defensive structure for the seasons ahead.
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All around the Dutchman however and players are facing intense scrutiny. There are no guarantees about any of Liverpool's other centre-backs right now.
Jarell Quansah looks destined to join Bayer Leverkusen for £35m and Joe Gomez might leave if the offer is right.
Konate out of contract in 2026
And Van Dijk's preferred defensive partner Ibrahima Konate has got a serious contract situation to resolve. Out of contract in 2026, there has been no breakthrough thus far in negotiations.
And now the Guardian is reporting that the Frenchman has REJECTED Liverpool's latest attempt to tie him down.
'The French defender enters the final year of his deal next month and is understood to have rejected Liverpool's initial offer of an extension,' the report reads.
Konate disappointed with Liverpool contract offer
Konate has been at Liverpool since 2021 - joining from RB Leipzig for a reported £35m. Having now established himself in the Liverpool lineup, the 26-year-old is seeking a reported pay packet of £200k per week in order to renew.
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According to the report in the Guardian, it appears Liverpool are not prepared to go that high in contract talks. Instead, it's claimed that the club are seeking to make up the difference in an incentivised deal.
That remains the sticking point for Konate, whose entourage are unhappy with the terms on offer.
© IMAGO
Konate pushing for bigger wage
'The 26-year-old is understood to be disappointed by the structure of Liverpool's offer, with his representatives believed to be pushing for a higher basic wage after the offer was heavily based on meeting certain performance targets,' the report reads.
Liverpool are reported to have set a deadline on Konate's contract talks. If no deal is reached by the conclusion of this summer's transfer window then he will be sold.
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The club do not want a repeat of the Trent Alexander-Arnold situation, in which the defender ran down his deal.
With only one year left on his deal, the power right now is in Konate's hands. Next summer he could well have Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and more lining up to provide a bumper free deal.
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