What Liverpool's TWO centre-back moves mean for Ibrahima Konate amid contract standoff

Liverpool have no plans to sell Ibrahima Konate even if they are successful in bringing in TWO new central defenders - with a deal for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi close.

The Frenchman has entered the final 12 months of his contract and can leave for nothing next summer as things stand. The Reds have just seen Trent Alexander-Arnold run down his deal and will be determined to avoid a repeat.

Konate is interesting Real Madrid given his contract status and his peak years remain ahead of him. Liverpool could look to cash in this summer - much like Palace believe they have little alternative when it comes to Guehi - but that is not the plan at Anfield. Arne Slot has had a summer-long interest in Guehi, who just captained the Eagles to FA Cup and Community Shield success.

They are also working on a deal for Parma's Giovanni Leoni, seen as a project for the future if they can beat Inter Milan to his signature. But Konate remains integral to their plans and any new arrivals are not to offset any potential departure.

Slot has been quizzed on his resources at the heart of defence after seeing Jarell Quansah leave for Bayer Leverkusen and Joe Gomez pick up more injury concerns.

READ MORE: Liverpool told Crystal Palace 'desperate' to sell Marc Guehi as £35m move edges closer

READ MORE: Liverpool open talks over Marc Guehi transfer as double defender deal eyed

The Dutchman believes he has sufficient cover, but there's no doubt the club would act if a deal was available - which Guehi certainly seems to be. His contract situation means Palace cannot demand a huge fee and their chairman Steve Parish admits they may have to cash in.

He said: "For players of that calibre to leave on a free, it's a problem for us unfortunately. We'll just have to see what happens. But, you know, it needs a new contract or a conclusion of some kind."

Konate rejected Liverpool's initial offer of an extension but more negotiations are expected. His contract talks were delayed last year as the club's bosses put their focus on retaining Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

The former RB Leipzig defender is understood to be disappointed by the structure of Liverpool’s offer, with his representatives thought to be pushing for a higher basic wage after the offer was largely based on meeting performance targets, which would've been crucial to his earning capacity.

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