Liverpool are reportedly ready to prioritise the renewal of a contract held by a key player during the summer transfer window.
The Merseyside giants took another step towards winning the Premier League title on Sunday as they earned a 2-1 victory over West Ham United.
However, despite only requiring two more wins to lift another top-flight crown, Liverpool are under pressure to learn from recent lessons with regards to contract renewals.
Due to their respective situations, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah reached the final three months of their deals, only the latter having officially penned an extension at this point.
Ahead of 2025-26, there is potential for other such scenarios to emerge, but Football Insider claims that club officials are working to ensure that they have a smoother period off the pitch.
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Liverpool working on Konate renewal?
The report alleges that sporting director Richard Hughes is leading the effort to negotiate fresh terms with the representatives of Ibrahima Konate.
Hughes and fellow club officials are seemingly looking to secure the France international's services in the long term before acting in the transfer market.
Close to completing his fourth campaign at Anfield, the 25-year-old has made 127 appearances for Liverpool, chipping in with five goals and four assists.
Nevertheless, it is his partnership with Van Dijk that has proved key in the title race, Liverpool now eager to reward the former RB Leipzig man and fend off interest from elsewhere.
Clubs such as Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are said be monitoring the situation, aware that a world-class defender could become a free agent in 2026.
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Liverpool right to act
Although Van Dijk is said to be on the brink of penning fresh terms with Liverpool, his success in recent seasons has partly been down to having Konate alongside him.
Arne Slot only has Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah in reserve, emphasising the importance of Konate and Van Dijk's partnership in the centre of the backline.
Regardless of whether Konate renews his contract or not, a new centre-back is expected to arrive in the summer, but it will be someone who would need to be prepared to play backup to the aforementioned duo.
Darren Plant
