Star player makes a surprise move! Upheaval at Liverpool could have devastating consequences for BVB

For much of the past year, reports from Merseyside had suggested that Konate was close to signing a new deal, with the player himself insisting that talks were "on the right track". In April, L'Equipe claimed an extension was imminent, and Konate added: "There have been talks with the club and we are close to reaching an agreement." Now, however, the situation has taken a sudden U-turn.

Instead, he is now expected to depart five years after his €40m move from RB Leipzig. His next destination is unknown, but Real Madrid has frequently been linked while the French centre-back's talks dragged on. 

At least one centre-back, David Alaba, is leaving Real at the end of the season. Moreover, after two cruciate ligament tears in 2023 and 2024, Eder Militao suffered fresh muscle injuries last term, was sidelined for months and will also miss the World Cup. 

Real will therefore have to consider signing Konate, even if Antonio Rüdiger's contract is expected to be extended for another year. With Dean Huijsen and Raul Asencio, there are only two other centre-backs in the squad alongside Rüdiger and the perpetually injured Militao.

However, according to the Daily Mail, Paris Saint-Germain is now the likely destination for Konaté, despite the fact that Willian Pacho and captain Marquinhos are the club's first-choice centre-backs.

His imminent departure represents a significant setback for Liverpool FC. The 27-year-old made 51 competitive appearances last term as a regular partner to captain Virgil van Dijk. With new signing Giovanni Leoni sidelined by a cruciate ligament injury, Liverpool had only one fit backup centre-back, Joe Gomez, throughout the campaign.

As a result, Liverpool will almost certainly sign at least one more centre-back, and that pursuit could make BVB the unexpected loser. According to Sky and Sport Bild, the Reds are one of three clubs—alongside Real Madrid—allowed to trigger Nico Schlotterbeck's release clause of €50–60m this summer.

The centre-back, seen as a future captain at Signal Iduna Park, had only extended his contract from 2027 to 2031 in April after some deliberation, yet the deal reportedly includes a get-out clause. When he next took the field for Dortmund, supporters jeered the perceived gesture.

"Of course that wasn't what I'd hoped for, but everyone is free to say what they want. Things settled down in the following matches. I've put that behind me and am simply delighted that I've extended my contract," the 26-year-old said on Friday during a press conference on the fringes of the DFB training camp ahead of the World Cup in Herzogenaurach.

Sport Bild adds that the clause is due to expire "sometime in July"—roughly around the World Cup final on 19 July. Schlotterbeck insists he has no plans to use the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico as an additional shop window for suitors.

"I don't see the point in putting myself in the shop window just for the sake of a World Cup. I'm clearly focusing on the World Cup. I don't intend to play particularly well just to secure a contract," he said.