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Liverpool is set for contract talks with Ibrahima Konate during the November international break, with the club viewing the talks as an important indicator as to whether it will be possible to convince the Frenchman to extend his stay at Anfield.
As things stand, Konate will become a free agent when his current contract expires at the end of next season, and Real Madrid is reportedly interested in signing the France international.
Madrid has made a habit of preying on players' contract situations in recent years, signing Kylian Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger, and David Alaba as free agents before getting Trent Alexander-Arnold for a vastly reduced fee earlier this year, just weeks before his Liverpool deal was due to expire.
Konate has established himself as Virgil van Dijk's first-choice partner since the arrival of Arne Slot last summer, but there is concern that he could leave the club for nothing in 2026.
There is plenty of uncertainty in the center of Liverpool's defense at the moment.
Van Dijk is 34 years old, Konate's contract is winding down, and Joe Gomez almost left the club on deadline day.
New signing Giovanni Leoni was always likely to be one for the future, but his season-ending injury has left Liverpool light at the back.
And the club was denied Marc Guehi after Crystal Palace U-turned on its decision to sell the defender at the eleventh hour.
With that in mind, keeping Konate is viewed as an important bit of business for Liverpool this season.
Rousing the Kop reports that talks between Liverpool and Konate's camp have been deadlocked for several months, and that both parties accept that the talks scheduled for the November break could prove to be the last roll of the dice.
Should a deal fail to materialize, Liverpool would reportedly start to accept its fate regarding Konate's future.
Irrespective of what happens with Konate, Liverpool is likely to sign a new center-back next year after missing out on Guehi a few weeks ago.
Guehi himself will be a free agent when his Crystal Palace contract expires in June, while Borussia Dortmund's Nico Schlotterbeck has also emerged as a possible option.
Schlotterbeck is another player whose contract with his current club is due to expire next summer, and he has gained a reputation as one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga in recent times.
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