Earlier this week, Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold announced his exit from Liverpool FC at the end of the season. Now it appears that another Reds defender, Ibrahima Konate, could be heading out the door as well.
And, it’s possible that Konate and Alexander-Arnold might even end up at the same new destination. Let’s get the first Liverpool FC Transfer Talk of 2025 started up right now.
Liverpool vs Arsenal FC FYIs
Kickoff: Sunday May 11, 430 pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool, UK
Starting Lineup Predictions: Arsenal Liverpool
Team News for Both Sides: go here
Premier League Form: Arsenal DDWDL Liverpool LWWWL
Premier League Standing: Arsenal 2nd, 67 pts Liverpool crowned champions
Result Probability: Liverpool 44% Draw 27% Arsenal 29%
After 20 years at LFC, at one level or another, TAA is working on finalizing his move to Real Madrid. Liverpool manager Arne Slot spoke up about it today:
“Like everybody who likes Liverpool and is a fan of Liverpool we are disappointed in him leaving.
“Because it is not only a good human leaving, but a very good full-back is leaving us as well.
“But I also worked at clubs like AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord where every season a very good player or multiple very good players left the club, so I am maybe a bit more used to it.
“But the experience I have – and this club as well – is that if a very good player is leaving, the next very good player will step up, and that is probably what is going to happen now.”
Alexander-Arnold has seen his contract expire, which means he’ll join his next team as a free agent.
Moving on to Konate, he is said to be wanted by Real Madrid as well, with the Bernabeu reportedly in the market for a new central defender.
According to Give Me Sport, “Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also monitoring the situation.” So that’s three clubs, and three giant clubs at that, said to be Konate keen.
And all that supposed interest can and will be used as leverage, as Konate’s camp seeks to get him a new contract extension, with a significant raise.
According to TBR Football, Konate wants to become one of the top earners at the club. Their report states that a massive gap exists between the two sides in this negotiation, with no real progress in sight.
And what happens with Konate could end up shaping the whole summer transfer strategy.
Once the Merseyside club reaches resolution of what they’re going to do win the center back, a lot of other summer transfer window dominos will fall.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.