Liverpool have made the decision not to renew Ibrahima Konate’s contract beyond 2026.
The Frenchman is now leaving for free, with the Reds aiming to rely heavily on Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni to fill the void at centre-back next season.
As for the departing centre-back, PSG were linked to Konate previously, but Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are now emerging as options to scoop up the stopper on a free.
Has Konate lived up to his potential, or does he leave having not quite reached it?
The curtain comes down on five up and down years as a Red 😓
FC Barcelona and Real Madrid among favourites for Ibrahima Konate
Marco Barzaghi has been discussing Konate and potential interest from Inter Milan this week.
When doing so, he suggested that the two Spanish giants are ahead of Inter in the race for the departing Liverpool ace.
He said: “We also included another possible dream signing in the market, a player who definitely will not renew his contract, in fact, it’s now almost certain, Ibrahima Konaté from Liverpool. And that could be good news.
“However, I think that Real Madrid and Barcelona are ahead in terms of the offers. The salary he was discussing with Liverpool was not excessively high either.
“We’ve always said that Inter had thought about him and were still thinking about him, and had tried to understand the terms of the race for Liverpool’s French giant.
“I remember meeting him at Anfield when Inter managed to win there.”
Anthony Gordon choosing Barcelona over Liverpool
Should Konate indeed end up at Barcelona, he could be lining up alongside one of Liverpool’s failed summer transfer targets.
The Reds have been heavily linked with Anthony Gordon since it was confirmed that Mohamed Salah is leaving.
The Newcastle United winger is among the quickest players in the Premier League and would have injected some much-needed pace into Arne Slot’s attack.
However, it emerged earlier this week that Gordon is joining Barcelona this summer instead of Liverpool, Bayern Munich or PSG.
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