“There’s always hope” – Virgil van Dijk makes emphatic Liverpool contract plea to Ibrahima Konate

Virgil van Dijk remains hopeful that centre-back partner Ibrahima Konate will sign a new contract at Liverpool in the coming months.

The Frenchman is rapidly approaching the end of his current deal at Anfield, which expires at the end of June, and reports in January indicated that talks with club chiefs had stalled over the festive period.

Discussions on the 26-year-old’s future would understandably have taken a back seat after the recent death of his father, but now that the defender has played three matches since that family tragedy, attention could once again turn to resolving his contractual situation.

Van Dijk hopeful that Konate will sign new Liverpool contract

Van Dijk – who this time last year found himself coming towards the end of his contract at Liverpool – has gone on record to voice his desire for Konate to commit his long-term future to the Reds, and he’s remaining hopeful that our number 5 will do just that.

The LFC captain said of his centre-back partner (via Mail Sport): “We are friends; we speak about everything. It’s a process and let’s see what comes out of it. It’s never that easy. We saw my situation last year so it’s never that easy that we can just say ‘let’s get it done’.

“Obviously I want him to stay. He’s an important figure on the pitch. That’s what everyone sees but off the pitch as well, he’s one of the leaders. He’s outstanding and, in my eyes, a world-class centre-back.

“I can do only so much but it’s in the club’s hands, together with his agents and himself. Let’s see what comes out of it but I have no influence otherwise on that. It was not my decision to leave it that late [last year] but it is what it is. There’s always hope.”

Konate 100% deserves a new contract on current form

Van Dijk also used the word ‘outstanding’ to describe Konate’s performance in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Sunderland on Wednesday night, and the skipper wasn’t exagerrating – the Frenchman won eight out of his nine duels (Sofascore) and made a vital challenge to deny Brian Brobbey in the first half.

The 26-year-old shipped some fierce criticism for a few performances earlier in the season, but he’s been immense for the Reds since returning after the death of his father, and to put in such dominant performances in that heartbreaking personal context is an incredible testament to his character.

At £70,000 per week, our number 5 is on a comparatively low wage in relation to other regular starters at Anfield (Capology), so he may well feel justified in seeking an increased reimbursement more befitting of his importance to the squad.

Even though Konate has struggled at times in recent months, his near-constant availability in a campaign which has seen Liverpool ravaged by defensive injuries is a huge plus, and that ought to be taken into account when club chiefs are negotiating a prospective new deal for him.

Van Dijk is perfectly placed from his own contractual uncertainty last year to empathise with his fellow centre-back’s current predicament, and although no two cases are the same, Reds fans can take encouragement from the fact that the captain didn’t renew with LFC until April of 2025.

Therefore, there’s still time for the France international to agree new terms at Anfield before his current deal expires. From what he’s shown lately, the hierarchy ought to do everything in their power to ensure that he spends the next few years of his career in the famous red shirt.

You can watch Slot’s full post-Sunderland press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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