French defender Ibrahima Konate has played down reports that Liverpool have offered him a new contract, insisting that no such deal has been presented as speculation over his future mounts.
Konate, whose current contract expires at the end of the season, previously revealed in January that he had received a proposal from the Reds but was nowhere near signing it.
After lifting the Premier League trophy in May, he dismissed social media rumours about ongoing contract talks as “completely fake,” though he admitted his agent had held fresh discussions with the club.
Read Also: Real Madrid plan summer raid for Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté
Six months on, the 26-year-old remains unsigned, with inconsistent performances only adding fuel to speculation linking him with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Konaté will be free to speak to foreign clubs from January 1 and sign a pre-contract agreement.
Speaking to reporters, Konaté once again rejected suggestions that Liverpool have tabled a new offer.
“I’ve seen a lot of things in the press recently, like Liverpool have made me a new offer,” he said.
“I don’t know where that’s coming from. My agents are continuing discussions with Liverpool. I hope my decision will be made very soon so I can announce it.”
Konaté also expressed delight for teammate Hugo Ekitike, who scored his first goal for France in their 4-0 win over Ukraine.
“At Liverpool, there’s a different intensity compared to the Bundesliga,” he noted at a pre-match press conference ahead of France’s final World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan.
“I challenged him when he arrived. After training, he was tired and didn’t want to go to the gym, so I looked him in the eyes for five seconds and said, ‘Do you want to play for the French national team?’”
