'Completely fake' but Konate future unclear

When questions over his Liverpool contract were put to Ibrahima Konate, fresh from lifting the Premier League title on his birthday in May, the defender was vexed.

- By PAUL GORST Liverpool FC Correspondent

Having proven himself as an honest and open interviewee across his time as a Reds player, Konate showed why he had that reputation when he disputed reports that had emerged online a few months earlier.

“You know, | just want to say one thing: everything you saw on social media is completely fake,” the France international said. "I didn't even ask for something from the club. They made me an offer, and | replied to them with something, that is it.

“The rest (speculation) that | want to wait until the end...| want this, all of it is completely fake. And even the big journalists said in November | am very close to signing the deal. | was like: ‘Ah, they have more information than me!?'”

The nature of the joyous afternoon, where Liverpool lifted their 20th title in front of over 60,000 supporters, meant that Konate’s words were delivered with more of a wry smile than any real frustration but the centre-back was clearly irked at the time by the erroneous claims.

Nearly five months on, however, the Reds man remains in the same spot he was in on his 26th birthday, tethered to the terms he signed in 2021, when he joined from RB Leipzig and facing an increasingly uncertain future.

Cody Gakpo recently revealed after signing a new contract at the club that negotiations with his SEG representatives and the club took around a year to formalise before they were signed and sealed.