(Credit: Imago)

James Murray

Thu 16 April 2026 7:00, UK

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Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate should agree a new deal to remain at Anfield beyond this season. 

That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider the France international’s “plan A” was to join Real Madrid on a free transfer.

Konate is currently set to leave Liverpool when his contract expires on 30 June at Anfield.

However, Fabrizio Romano reported on 9 April the Reds are moving closer to reaching a full agreement with the 26-year-old over a new deal after talks with Real Madrid ended in November. 

Liverpool want to avoid losing Konate on a free transfer, with the centre-back expected to receive an upgrade on his £150,000-a-week deal to remain on Merseyside.

Why Ibrahima Konate is set for Liverpool wage increase

Konate has faced criticism following his performances for Liverpool this season, with Arne Slot’s side struggling to replicate the form of their title-winning campaign.

However, the defender has continued to feature heavily, having started in 43 of his 45 appearances. 

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson discussed whether Konate is in a position to land a wage increase if he signs a new deal at Anfield. 

“On any basis, he’s worth £50million,” said Borson.

“He’s obviously not had a good season, but he’s a £50m player in the current market, and a £50m player can command £200-250k. I don’t think he’s on that much less than that right now.

“For all of the numbers that we hear about from Liverpool fans, I’m sure he’s on between £150-200k all in.

“Most of the Liverpool players are if you do a simple bit of arithmetic on their last wage bill and the sort of percentage that goes on the first-team squad, you find that the average is probably somewhere near £230k with all the bonuses included. He’s on good money already, but he can easily get to £250k.” 

Why Liverpool should agree Konate deal

Borson insisted agreeing a new deal with Konate makes sense for Liverpool due to his transfer value.

“Liverpool should do the deal just because if you’ve got a player there that’s worth £50m that you actually like, that’s played loads of football, that might be going through a rough time at the moment, but probably will recover next season, you should probably get him on board and sign him up,” said Borson. 

“The reality is that his plan A was always to try and go to Real Madrid for free. If that’s not there, he surely should stay a little bit more.

“There can’t be that many clubs that he thinks are a better bet than Liverpool.”

Liverpool had the highest wage bill in the Premier League last season, with their total increasing from £386m in 2023-24 to £428m due to the bonuses owed to players and staff after being crowned champions.