Liverpool and Konate still far apart on new contract

Liverpool and Ibrahima Konate are not as close to agreeing a new deal as the defender recently suggested in public.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the club and the French centre-back have different views on how advanced the talks over his contract extension really are. A few weeks ago, Konate gave the impression that negotiations were moving swiftly in the right direction.

“We have been in discussions with the club for a long time and we are close to an agreement”, he said. “It’s certain, there’s a good chance I’ll be here next season. That’s what I’ve always wanted.” However, Liverpool reportedly never felt an agreement was quite that close and events since then appear to back up the club’s stance.

Earlier this week, journalist David Ornstein reported that the discussions are not “particularly positive” at this stage, even though both parties remain at the table and talks have not broken down. For now, Konate’s long-term future at Anfield remains unresolved, with Liverpool weighing up their options and the defender still publicly expressing his desire to stay.