25 Jun 2025 12:10:31
If Arne Slot wants to avoid another Trent episode with Konate, I think he needs to sell him if a compromise in wages can't be reached. There is time and the club has shown they can be decisive - my feeling is act now? There are lots of attractive options out there.
25 Jun 2025 12:42:41
sure. who is going to buy him one year out from getting him for free?
25 Jun 2025 12:46:52
It's not as simple as just selling him though. I firmly believe there are only two clubs that Konate would leave us for (PSG or Real Madrid) and I don't think either of them would pay Liverpool's desired price this summer. Both clubs would love to sign him on a free next summer, but with Madrid already paying £50mil for Huijsen and PSG looking at paying £60mil for Zabarnyi, I can't see either of them being desperate enough to overpay for Konate when he only has a year left. I think they'd be willing to pay £30mil, maybe £40mil tops, when they know they can just hold out and get him for free next year.
And from Liverpool's point of view, what good realistically is £30-40 million if they lose Konate? I know he's had his injury problems and has a mistake or two in him, but this season he has genuinely been one of the top centre backs in the world alongside Virgil. In the current market, Liverpool are simply not going to sign an adequate replacement with that £40mil. They would need to add a considerable sum on top of that to bring in a player for whom there is no guarantee they would be as good. There is a genuine argument to be made that it could be better for the club to keep Konate this year, and put them in the best position to retain the league title and win the CL, and then lost him for free next year, having gotten the value out of him this season. The greater chance at winning WITH Konate could be more valuable than the fee received for selling him.
There is also the chance that he then agrees to sign a contract during the season. Maybe Liverpool will eventually meet his wage demands, but are keen to delay it as long as possible so they can get another few months of the lower wage before giving him the bump.
Even with his contract running out, Konate will still need to be on top form this season as it's a world cup year - especially if Guehi comes in and he has competition for his starting role.
Ultimately I'm hoping that he and the club can just agree that contract extension this summer to end this entire conversation, but if that can't be done, I'm really not sure it's as simple as selling him.
25 Jun 2025 12:53:31
Who's going to pay €10m for a player a month before getting him for free, Faith?
I think there will be plenty of suitors, given the situation, if he definitely won't sign, I'd be happy to at least get back the €40m we paid for him from Leipzig, hopefully more if there's a bidding war, but it's unlikely as the 2 clubs he is most linked with are RM and PSG, and I reckon PSG will have a clear run (just a guess)
{Ed025's Note - Real Madrid?..
25 Jun 2025 13:13:52
I don’t understand why anyone would want to weaken the team just because someone won’t sign a contract. I mean honestly, why do we care?
WhatDivock is absolutely right, sometimes keeping the player even though he might leave for free next year is a better option than selling him at a fraction of his actual value.
Too many people have a basic, Football Manager level knowledge of club finances and think that this is the way it works. Sometimes it might but the vast majority of times it doesn’t.
The club will make the right decision for the club with all of the facts and figures in front of them. We just need to worry about supporting the team and winning trophies.
25 Jun 2025 14:26:30
It will be sorted. There is no problem and we want to keep Konate.
Obviously we could just offer him and be done with it but i don't know why we take these things so deep that even Angela white won't enjoy it.
25 Jun 2025 14:28:36
Again, if a player is fulfilling his contractual obligation and wants to see out his contract, how are the club supposed to sell him?
25 Jun 2025 15:22:33
Good question, Faithworks.
25 Jun 2025 15:42:55
Poor old Konate gets some grief on here. He's been one of the two CB's who won the PL this season and played almost every match. He's had some mistakes this season but which player hasn't, even VVD widely regarded as one of the best CB's in the world had some errors.
So the options are pay him a salary commensurate to his level.
Try and sell him, but like our old RB he may already have had discussions with other clubs who've asked him to run his contract down so they can pick him up. for free next summer.
If he does run his contract down then the positive note is he has been excellent this season as VVD's partner and is very proven in PL and CL so that pairing is good enough to win No.21 and a CL.
Also with the World Cup. coming up we know he won't down tools as he wants to be a starter with France.
So we'll have lost his 30m purchase fee but could have a few titles and cup trophies for that and without an exorbitant salary. I'd wish him good luck next summer if he left but had as good a season as he did last season.
25 Jun 2025 13:02:01
Yep, Ed025, but I don't reckon Real will go for another CB this window and from reports it seems as if Konate does want to go back home to France if he leaves us.
25 Jun 2025 16:25:34
You make him realise if he doesn't sign he doesn't play . simple really. all this he signed a contract let's honour it baloney has to stop. you inform his agent n him he won't be playing or going on loan . its world cup year so he has to play . ultimatum is sign or leave . n that goes for them all no matter how important they are to us .
{Ed077's Note - well what if he opts to sit out a year, and just collect the paycheck? You still have to pay them and you can't find players for "refusing contract renewal offers"
25 Jun 2025 17:12:05
That's quite the reference Akira haha.
25 Jun 2025 17:22:39
Real Madrid now in for konate 25m, we want nearer to 40m allegedly. Unless psg also enter the conversation. Obviously trying to scrimp on a 1st teamers wage offer. Similar situation to Diaz by all accounts. Looking like Marc guehi is konate replacement.
25 Jun 2025 17:22:54
Or maybe offer ibou a good contract offer.
25 Jun 2025 17:46:12
Just put a gun to his head and force him to sign for another team whether they want him or not and force the other team to stump up the cash, easy.
25 Jun 2025 18:03:25
Ed077.well if he does that, then that tells you what type of person he is . its world cup year . so if he'd rather miss out for a bumper pay packet next year . so be it . we got to take control back from these players back to the club somehow.
{Ed077's Note - How is paying a player to sit out a year collecting his wage to move on a bumper free deal giving some control back? If a club offers you something and your current club won't match it then it's understandable why the player won't sign on for cheaper.
What does that tell about the club too? Like what kind of a club it is
You have to pay them, might as well get some use out of them.
25 Jun 2025 19:36:40
Akira, who *ahem* is Angela White *ahem* ?.
25 Jun 2025 19:34:49
Ed077.that tells you the club won't stand for any of this nonsense. so the next olayer who decides to run his contract down will think twice about it . to me that makes sense . if they're going to take the p. out of us maybe we should do the same .
{Ed077's Note - however you spin it, it's not a good look on the club and has very little actual benefits from the way I see it.
26 Jun 2025 05:31:59
Well, if he doesn't sign an extension, we'll still need a new CB next year so.
Get £30m for him, add £20m on top and get someone good in or come up with £50m+ next year to get someone in.
In my opinion if he doesn't want to sign, then it would make more sense to entertain offers and see if we can get someone good in for 40-60m + and youngster.