Liverpool
Konaté Said to Be ‘More Likely’ to Remain at Liverpool Amid Wage Talks
Reportedly more likely to stay Konate faces wage negotiations that must be settled before 2026 soon.
Ibrahima Konaté is now reported to be “more likely” to remain at Liverpool than to leave, even as negotiations over a new contract continue. The centre back is a regular starter and his contract situation has become a notable issue for the club given his importance to the defensive pairing.
The Athletic now claim that the Frenchman is “more likely” to belatedly reach an agreement with Liverpool rather than move elsewhere, although the formal signing remains unfinished. The 26-year-old has previously sought to dismiss exaggerated reports about demands. “I didn’t even ask for something from the club,” the 26-year-old insisted. “They made me an offer, and I replied to them with something, that is it.” He also gave a public timetable, promising an outcome “very soon.”
Reports indicate the dispute centres on salary. Konaté is reported to earn about $199,000 per week under his current terms and is understood to be seeking pay that reflects the club’s top earners. For context within the squad, Mohamed Salah is listed on $640,000 per week with a contract through 2027, Virgil van Dijk on $540,000 to 2027, Alexander Isak on $400,000 to 2031, Ryan Gravenberch on $372,000 to 2032 and Florian Wirtz on $330,000 to 2030.
Gravenberch’s recent extension is thought to have placed him among the club’s highest earners, and Salah’s departure in the summer will remove his $640,000 weekly figure from the wage bill. It is not believed Konaté is demanding wages on the scale of van Dijk or Salah.
Potential suitors have become fewer as the season has progressed. Dayot Upamecano’s extension at Bayern Munich likely removed that club from contention, Paris Saint-Germain’s interest has been downplayed and Real Madrid reportedly withdrew from the pursuit in November. Konaté’s future therefore appears set for resolution with Liverpool, though the paperwork has still to be finalised.
Liverpool
Gerrard: Give Arne Slot Time Despite ‘Really Dire’ Runs
Steven Gerrard says Arne Slot should be given time to fix Liverpool after ‘really dire’ displays…
Steven Gerrard has urged restraint over calls to dismiss Arne Slot, arguing the former Feyenoord coach should be allowed time to resolve Liverpool’s problems despite a run of poor displays.
There have been widespread calls among Liverpool supporters for the club to sack the ex-Feyenoord coach, but Gerrard has issued caution over parting ways with a manager that helped the Reds clinch only their second ever Premier League trophy.
“He has [got credit in the bank] with me because more than anyone on the planet, I know how difficult it is to win a league,” Gerrard told the Stick to Football podcast . “And for him to come in and win a league in his first season, being asked questions in the media a long time, what do you think, does it need to change and blah, blah, blah … He’s got a lot more credit with me.
“You know how difficult it is. Jamie [Carragher] will tell you, the Liverpool demand, they expect to win it every year. So I think he needs the opportunity to sort of play himself out of trouble and fix the issues and try and get himself back in a good place.”
The 45-year-old added: “I think someone who’s won a league deserves at least a full season to try and get out of the problems and the issues that they’ve got.
“I’m certainly one of those people, but I have to understand what the fans are saying as well, because it has been dire in certain games and performances. Really dire.”
Liverpool will hope the March international break offered a reset after the Reds were beaten by Brighton & Hove Albion just before the hiatus. The need for a swift recovery is underlined by a testing week ahead that could shape Slot’s immediate future.
Liverpool begin by visiting Manchester City in an FA Cup quarterfinal on Saturday. Defeat at the Etihad Stadium eliminates another route to silverware, and the Reds then travel to reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal tie. As Liverpool know all too well from last season, PSG are a formidable foe, and a hefty defeat at the Parc des Princes would leave Slot’s side on the precipice.
Liverpool
Gerrard Urges Salah Not to Leave ‘Under a Cloud’ as Exit Options Narrow
Gerrard warned Salah not to ‘go under a cloud’ after December’s outburst and urged restraint ahead.
Steven Gerrard has revealed he spoke privately with Mohamed Salah after the forward publicly accused the club of casting him aside, warning him against departing Liverpool amid controversy. Gerrard said he sensed an issue following Salah’s explosive comments in early December, which were sparked by frustration at being benched.
Those remarks briefly made it feasible that the Egypt international could have travelled to the Africa Cup of Nations and completed a move in January, potentially never playing for Liverpool again. Gerrard, a guest on Stick to Football, believes the episode may be something Salah later regrets. He said: “That told me that there was an issue. Going back before that, I think Liverpool as a club probably only wanted to give Mo Salah [a contract for] one year rather than the two.
“It’s in everyone’s interests for it to end, but also on Mo Salah’s terms. I spoke to him around that interview [in December] and said to him, ‘Look, don’t do what you’ve done and go under a cloud.’”
Manager Arne Slot handled the fallout and was quick to describe the matter as water under the bridge, prioritising the club’s second-half season. That approach leaves Salah with the chance to deliver a lengthy farewell on the pitch.
Former Liverpool defender Škrtel, who left a year before Salah arrived from Roma in 2017, paid tribute to the forward’s nine-year impact. Škrtel told The Football Historian after a recent Legends match: “Obviously he decided to leave and we have to accept it, we wish him all the best for the future, but obviously we’ll be missing him.
“But that’s football, players leaving and new ones coming, but definitely Mo leaves a legacy behind him and I’m just happy that he was wearing our shirt. I just wish him good luck for the future.”
There is no firm decision on Salah’s next destination. Bayern Munich have distanced themselves from approach rumours, while moves to Paris Saint-Germain or Barcelona appear unlikely. Salah seems destined for Major League Soccer or the Saudi Pro League, both offering sizable wages. Gerrard, who briefly played for LA Galaxy after leaving Liverpool in 2015 and later managed Al Ettifaq, has not offered a full endorsement of those competitions’ quality.
Liverpool
Isak Returns to Group Training After Three-Month Layoff, Slot Provides Update
Isak returns to team training after three months out with fractured leg and ankle injury. from camp.
Alexander Isak is due to rejoin Liverpool’s group training this week after a three-month absence caused by a fractured leg and ankle injury. The striker is scheduled to take part in team sessions on Thursday, manager Arne Slot confirmed.
“I think Alex is in a really good place because Sweden qualified for the World Cup yesterday evening, and apart from that he’s going to train with the group again for the first time tomorrow,” Slot revealed in a brief interview with Liverpoolfc.com on Wednesday.
Slot cautioned that returning to collective training is only an early step in the recovery. “If you’ve worked so hard for three, four months or something like that and then to return to team training, that’s for everyone [is] very nice. So, Alex is, in that sense, in a good place.”
The manager underlined the need for gradual progression. “It’s only his first session after three or four months [out], but it’s good to have him back because we all know who we signed, and we’ve signed an incredible striker,” Slot added. “To have him again in a team that’s usually generating quite a lot chances—and maybe not immediately he can start—for the last two months [of the season] is, I think, very helpful for us.”
Isak’s path back to match fitness will take time. He struggled with fitness after a summer spent trying to force his way out of Newcastle United and arrived at Liverpool lacking condition. He did not score his first Premier League goal for the club until the end of November. The goal against Spurs that caused the injury was only Isak’s second in the league.
Liverpool travel to Manchester City in the FA Cup on April 4, a game Isak almost certainly won’t play. After that, the Reds face Champions League quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain, with the two legs of that tie sandwiching a Premier League match with Fulham. Seven months after a $168.75 million (£125 million) transfer made him the most expensive player in English soccer history, Isak has had a difficult start to the 2025/26 season.
