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Liverpool are to reward defenders Ibrahima Konate and Jarell Quansah with new long-term contracts as talks with the duo progress.
England Under-21 international Quansah is the closest to signing his contract, with the club in advanced negotiations to recognize his promotion to a senior member of the Liverpool squad over the past 12 months. Quansah can expect a significant salary increase considering his last contract was signed while he was still a young player.
Preliminary discussions are also underway with French international Konate, who has re-established himself alongside Virgil van Dijk in the first-choice defensive duo, starting this season in his best form. At 25, Konate’s deal would dedicate his peak years to Anfield.
Liverpool have conceded just two Premier League goals in their opening seven matches, and just four goals in 10 in all competitions. The determination of the back four has been a key part of the excellent start under new manager Arne Slot.
Why Quansah and Konate are key to Slot’s plan
Quansah’s new deal could be finalized during the next international break. The academy product made his Liverpool debut last season, finishing the campaign as a Carabao Cup winner and hailed as one of several emerging young England defenders called up to Gareth Southgate’s preliminary squad ahead of Euro 2024.
The Warrington-born 21-year-old started the season under Slot and has since fallen below Konate in the pecking order, but his deal reflects the club’s high rating as they have resisted numerous overtures for him over the course of of summer. notably when Newcastle United requested that he be included in a potential player-plus-cash deal for Anthony Gordon. Liverpool’s holdout stressed that they see Quansah as a long-term solution at center back.
The approach of Konaté’s representatives – these talks will continue in the coming weeks – underlines his recent return to the level at which he began his career at Anfield.
Liverpool signed Konate from RB Leipzig in 2021 for a fee of £36 million and his excellence in his first year saw him overtake Joel Matip as preferred partner alongside Van Dijk.
Last season was trickier due to a combination of injuries and loss of form during the campaign, but – at least statistically – he and Van Dijk were the team’s outstanding centre-back partnership. new campaign.
Liverpool progressing discussions over the futures of Quansah and Konate will inevitably return to the path they have traveled with Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who have been a priority since Slot and new director of football Richard Hughes took over.
Like Mohamed Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold are out of contract at the end of this season, but reaching a deal that suits all parties has so far proved difficult.
