Ibrahima Konaté has broken his silence on leaving Liverpool after the Reds confirmed the French defender's imminent departure as a free agent. The 27-year-old will end a five-year spell at Anfield at the end of June when his contract expires, having made 183 appearances and scored seven goals. Talks over a new deal collapsed due to a failure to agree on salary.
Konaté's exit leaves Liverpool with two significant issues: a gap in central defence and the loss of a leadership figure. The France international had recently expressed confidence that a new contract would be agreed, telling reporters after a win over Everton that he was 'close to an agreement' and saw himself as 'a leader already for this team'. His departure comes just over 24 hours after the club sacked manager Arne Slot, with former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola the strong favourite to replace him.
In a lengthy statement, Konaté admitted he was 'deeply saddened' not to have said goodbye to supporters at the final home game, as he was unaware it would be his last appearance. He wrote: 'I am devastated that I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to all of you at the last game. At that moment, I didn't know it would be my final time wearing this shirt in front of you.'
Liverpool said in a statement: 'Konaté will depart with our gratitude and appreciation for the contribution he made and everyone at the club wishes him the best for the future.' The defender won four major trophies at Anfield, including the Premier League, and leaves having lost his father earlier this year, a period he described as 'one of the hardest of my life'.
