Ibrahima Konate is into the final year of his contract at Liverpool, and if ongoing talks do not result in an extension he will become the most valuable free agent of 2026.
Konate now has less than nine months remaining on his current deal with the Premier League champions and a breakthrough in talks does not appear close.
The Frenchman is being courted by Real Madrid, who are employing similar tactics to those which convinced Trent Alexander-Arnold to leave on a free transfer last summer, and his recent form has led to questions over his future.
Liverpool would clearly prefer to keep their No. 5, but if there is no progress soon they may become resigned to seeing another key player leave as a free agent.
According to Transfermarkt, of the players worldwide whose contracts are set to expire in the summer, Konate’s market value is the highest.
Liverpool interested in Upamecano and Guehi
He is projected to be worth €60 million (£52.1m), which is considerably more than the next-highest: Bayern Munich‘s Dayot Upamecano, who is valued at €50 million (£43.4m).
Upamecano and Konate were centre-back partners at RB Leipzig, and interestingly Liverpool are claimed to hold an interest in signing the Frenchman.
A known target for the champions is Crystal Palace‘s Marc Guehi, who is joint-third on the list and valued at €45 million (£39.1m) – a fraction higher than the fee initially agreed to sign him on deadline day.
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is also valued at €45 million (£39.1m) while Man City‘s Bernardo Silva, whose projected market value is €38 million (£33m), rounds off the top five.
Most valuable potential free agents – summer 2026
1. Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool) – Centre-back – £52.1m
2. Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich) – Centre-back – £43.4m
3. Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace) – Centre-back – £39.1m
4. Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona) – Midfielder – £39.1m
5. Bernardo Silva (Man City) – Midfielder – £33m
6. Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus) – Striker – £30.4m
7. Quinten Timber (Feyenoord) – Midfielder – £26m
8. Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton) – Left-back – £24.3m
9. Mike Maignan (AC Milan) – Goalkeeper – £21.7m
10. John Stones (Man City) – Centre-back – £21.7m
11. Julian Brandt (Dortmund) – Attacking midfielder – £21.7m
12. Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal) – Midfielder – £21.7m
13. Yves Bissouma (Tottenham) – Midfielder – £21.7m
14. Eric Garcia (Barcelona) – Centre-back – £21.7m
15. Eduard Spertsyan (Krasnodar) – Attacking midfielder – £21.7m
If Konate, Upamecano and Guehi all run their contracts down it could see Liverpool embroiled in a battle to land one of the bargain signings of the summer.
Andy Robertson is the only other senior player whose deal with the Reds is set to expire on July 1, with the vice-captain’s market value set at €18 million (£15.6m).
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