Ibrahima Konate will leave Liverpool when his contract at Anfield expires at the end of the season.

That is according to ex-Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, after Liverpool signed Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes.

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Jacquet will move to Liverpool in a deal worth £60million from the start of next season, with the 20-year-old to stay at Rennes for the second half of the campaign.

Liverpool have been planning for Konate’s departure, with no breakthrough in contract talks between the club and the 26-year-old.

Liverpool preparing for ‘change of the guard’

Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes Konate will return to form for the remainder of the season amid his search for his next club.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks Liverpool could also source a replacement for Virgil van Dijk in the summer.

He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I think that, yeah, look, he’s going to be gone. There’s no doubt about it. He will be off, and I think it will be the right thing.

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“As I say, you’ll see him play in a very good second part of the season. He will be coming back to the form that had Real Madrid and all the others looking at him, and he’ll start to show up really well. I’ve seen it so many times with players when they come towards the end of that contract. Suddenly, that effort that is now at 110% rather than the 90% that you’ve seen for the start of the season.

“Look, it’s unfortunate, but that’s the way the game works sometimes. I’m just saying it’s human nature that you’re going to start feeling that pressure, and you’re going to start performing better. I’m not saying necessarily premeditated, but certainly it’s something that happens, and it’s a sort of part of that human performance and the human nature that comes into it.

“Yes, I think he’ll be gone. I think it’s very clear. Jacquet is obviously the answer to that solution and it’ll be a change of the guard at the back. Now Virgil van Dijk is going to be the interesting one as well. Will there be a replacement coming in as well? Because there’s no doubt he’s coming to the end of his days as well.”

Liverpool managerial search takes a twist

Manager Arne Slot’s future is also in doubt beyond the end of this season, with supporters increasingly turning against the Dutchman.

Liverpool face a battle to qualify for the Champions League this season, and Slot has been told he needs a top four finish to remain in charge.

Xabi Alonso has been widely tipped to replace Slot, but a new update may mean the Spaniard has his sights set elsewhere.

Alonso is now in the running for the Manchester City job, with Pep Guardiola potentially stepping down at the end of the season.

Florian Wirtz is developing into a Liverpool superstar, this announcement confirms it

Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz has been nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month award for January.

Wirtz has been in terrific form for Liverpool of late, and has four goals and two assists in his last six appearances across all competitions.

The midfielder initially struggled to adapt following his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, but he looks to have finally found his feet.

As Liverpool beat Newcastle United 4-1 on Saturday, Wirtz scored and assisted to complete a superb performance.

Arne Slot remains under huge pressure at Liverpool, but he will hope that his faith in the German will be rewarded at the end of the season.

Florian Wirtz among nominees for January award

Wirtz was the subject of huge ridicule in his opening months at Liverpool, as the midfielder struggled to adapt to the Premier League.

His first assist had come against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield final in August, but his first in the league would not arrive until December.

Florian WirtzPremier League 2025-26Appearances23Goals4Assists2Chances created41Successful dribbles32

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And it would be an even longer wait for his first goal, which came against Wolves just after Christmas.

Since then, however, Wirtz has looked like a player reborn. The 22-year-old has been instrumental for Liverpool, scoring, assisting and running the show on a regular basis. All the signs are that he’s developing into a bona fide Premier League superstar.

With three goals and an assist in six Premier League games in January, the Germany international has been rewarded with a nomination for the Player of the Month award for January.

Eight outstanding performers in January 💫

But only one can be your @EASPORTSFC Player of the Month 👇

— Premier League (@premierleague) February 5, 2026

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Yasin Ayari, Patrick Dorgu, Enzo Fernandez, Eli Junior Kroupi, Crysencio Summerville, Igor Thiago, and Harry Wilson are also nominated.

Arne Slot reveals reasons behind Wirtz’s transformation

There could never be any doubt about Wirtz’s talent. The midfielder scored 10 goals and provided 12 assists in just 31 Bundesliga games for Bayer Leverkusen last season, and he did similarly in the previous season.

But, as has so often been explained by players who have played in it, the Premier League is a different beast in terms of physicality and quality.

That did not mean Wirtz’s talent came into question as he struggled, but rather his ability to cope with the physical demands.

Florian Wirtz has been nominated for Premier League Player of the Month in January 👏🇩🇪

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 5, 2026

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Those questions have been answered in recent weeks, however, with Slot explaining before Sunday’s clash with Man City that the German has worked for it.

“First and foremost, credit to the player because he has to do the work,” he said. “Not only on the pitch but also in the gym.

“Then as a manager, even if he is struggling a little bit at the start, you have to keep playing him because that is the only way he can improve. He is an example of that.”