Liverpool's France international defender Ibrahima Konaté confirmed in an interview with The Times' resident renowned English Liverpool team correspondent Paul Joyce, on Wednesday that he is in talks with the club about a contract extension.

According to the report, Konaté said in the interview that he and his agent are indeed in talks with Liverpool about a contract extension, but in order not to give others the opportunity to spread rumours, he has decided not to announce the progress of the discussion, just like his teammates Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Konaté said: "New contract? Currently, my agent and I are indeed discussing the contract extension with the club. How is the process going? I don't want to make too many unnecessary responses to everyone. Let's wait and see how the situation pans out."

When asked about how he felt about finally winning the Premier League after so many years of hard work, Konaté said that he still felt a kind of joy that was difficult to describe in words.

He said that he had watched many Premier League games since he was a child, and he never thought that he would become the first French player in the club's history to win the title, let alone that the prediction of head coach Arne Slot, who told the players before the start of the season that they had a chance to win the Premier League this season, would come true.

Konaté said emotionally: "After the game, I walked into the stadium, sat in the stands, and felt my feelings as a fan. I can't describe my feelings in words. I just want to enjoy this moment alone."

"We won the title with 60,000 fans on the stadium with us. I just want to feel something different. Now I am really happy. I am about to cry. It's all crazy and unbelievable. We must enjoy it now."

"After four seasons, I finally did it. It's great and I'm very happy. We are in the best league in the world. We know how difficult it is to win the Premier League every season."

"I have watched the Premier League every week and every game since I was a child. It's crazy to win the title now. I am the first French player to win the league trophy at Liverpool . It's incredible."

"This is the most important thing for players, because after retirement, this is the only thing you really remember, and it will always be in your hands, especially winning the Premier League. What a great trophy it is."

"Just before the start of the season, he explained to us why we didn't win the league last year, and some details. He said that if we change the status quo and keep improving, we have a great chance of winning the league."

"And this is what we have been insisting on since the beginning of the season. We must be happy about it."

When talking about his feelings about working with Slot, Konaté said that compared to Jürgen Klopp, the former Feyenoord head coach is more inclined to let the team not be too focused on attack, which makes everyone more calm and rational.

He is also very grateful that Slot can always use his low-key but calm personality to use his strong influence to convince everyone in the team to become better. Therefore, he thinks the latter has made an indispensable contribution that Liverpool can win the Premier League again after 5 years.

"I think he brings something new, like a style of play," Konaté said.

"I saw him on the pitch after the game that day, and he didn't want to accept the praise for fear of stealing the limelight. He walked silently behind us. This humility is incredible."

"Well, we are on the pitch, we run, we do everything, but he also does a lot for us. In my opinion, we have to thank him in addition to the fans for their support."

The interview also indirectly "Slapped the Face" of rumour monger "Ms. Plan To" who has lied since November 2023 that Konaté dreams of joining Paris Saint-Germain after leaving the club when his contract expires.

Finally, Joyce also revealed that Trent Alexander-Arnold's seemingly imminent departure from Real Madrid as a free agent after his contract expires was never a foregone conclusion.

He added that Alexander-Arnold's willingness to leave the club has changed to some extent after Liverpool won the Premier League and saw that the fans still supported him so enthusiastically.

As long as the latter does not officially announce that he is about to join Real Madrid, Alexander-Arnold will always have the possibility of changing his mind at the last minute and signing a new contract to stay at the club.

About Ibrahima Konaté

Ibrahima Konaté, 25, was born in Paris, the capital of France, on May 25, 1999. He is 1.94 meters tall and plays as a center back. He has dual French and Malian nationality.

At the age of 10, Konaté joined the youth academy of his hometown club Paris FC. Five years later, he moved to the Sochaux youth academy and completed his Sochaux first-team debut in February 2017 when he was only 17 years old.

After leaving the club after the expiration of his contract in July of the same year, Konaté joined Red Bull Leipzig as a free agent.

During his four-year spell with Leipzig, Konaté reached the DFB-Pokal final twice with the club.

In July 2021, Konaté joined Liverpool for £36 million.

Since becoming a member of the Reds, Konaté has played 129 times for Liverpool in all competitions, scored 5 goals and assisted 4 times. During which he has won the Premier League once, the FA Cup once, the Community Shield once and the Carabao Cup twice with the club, and reached the Champions League final once.