\n<\/p>\n
Konate sounded as confident as ever when he told us in April that there was a “big chance” he would be at Anfield next season.<\/p>\n
In fact, he even asked reporters to speak to Liverpool<\/a>‘s sporting director Richard Hughes, implying that he always wanted to stay at Liverpool<\/a>despite rumours linking him with a move to Real Madrid earlier in the season.<\/p>\n “I’m waiting to sort the contract, but when everything is sorted, you will have to ask Richard what I said to him in September, November and he’s going to say something to make everyone quiet,” Konate said at the time.<\/p>\n Over the last few months, Arne Slot even described Konate as “vital” and admitted that Liverpool<\/a> would not be in talks for a new deal if they didn’t want Konate to stay. <\/p>\n Now it looks like that contract will not be sorted and Konate will be on his way out of Anfield without even saying goodbye – like Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson.<\/p>\n In truth, it is a mess on both sides of the equation. For Liverpool<\/a>this is yet another experienced campaigner leaving on a free transfer. Such a situation should have been sorted last summer, in order to get a fee for Konate or at the latest by the January window.<\/p>\n At 27, Konate is still in the prime of his career and though the options aren’t clear at the moment, eyes will light up around the world at getting a centre-half of his calibre for free. Any decision as to his next club may come after the World Cup.<\/p>\n However, that will come down to an agreement on wages, with the simple matter that Konate wants a lot more money than Liverpool<\/a> value him at. It leaves the Frenchman in a precarious position and unable to stay at the club that he said he truly wanted to stay at.<\/p>\n