Hugo Ekitike Urges Ibrahima Konate to Sign with Liverpool

Hugo Ekitike has stepped into Liverpool’s contract saga with a simple message for Ibrahima Konate: sign.

The forward, sidelined by a serious Achilles injury and ruled out of World Cup duty with France, took to Instagram after news emerged that Konate is expected to leave Anfield on a free transfer this summer following a breakdown in talks over a new deal.

Konate had posted a picture of himself arriving for international duty with France, a scene that should have featured Ekitike alongside him before injury intervened. Liverpool supporters flooded the comments, pleading with the defender to stay. One fan urged him to put pen to paper.

Ekitike joined in.

Replying directly, he wrote “signe frere” with two laughing emojis – a playful but pointed nudge that translates to “sign, brother”. A light touch. A heavy implication. Even inside the dressing room, there is a desire for Konate to remain at the heart of Liverpool’s defence.

That public prod comes at a time when the narrative around Konate’s future has shifted sharply. Only a few weeks ago, the centre-back sounded confident that an agreement with Liverpool was close.

“For sure, there is a big chance I’m here next season,” he said at the Hill Dickinson Stadium after helping the Reds beat Everton. “This is what I always wanted. I’m waiting to sort the contract, but when everything is sorted, you will have to ask Richard (Hughes) what I said to him in September, November and he’s going to say something to make everyone quiet.

“When everything's going to be sorted, I wish you had a discussion with Richard (Hughes) and asked what I said to him a few months ago, before everyone talked about everything. When he’s going to reply, you will see. I just wish that.”

The confidence in those words now jars with the current expectation: that the deal will not be signed and Konate will walk away for nothing at the end of his contract. For Arne Slot, preparing for his first summer in charge and already braced for major departures, the prospect of losing one of his prime defenders only deepens the sense of transition.

Konate has never hidden how he sees himself inside this squad. He spoke openly about his growing influence in the dressing room, particularly with a new era looming.

“I think I'm a leader already for this team, for the younger players, and for everyone to be fair,” he said. “We know this is part of the football life. The legends are going to leave one day and after, it's going to be our turn to take the lead. I started this already and it's a big responsibility.

“We start and we play football to have this kind of chance and to make sure everything is fine for this amazing club. But I need the help of everyone as well.”

Those are not the words of a player drifting towards the exit. They are the words of someone who saw himself as part of Liverpool’s next leadership core, ready to step up as the old guard moved on.

Signed from RB Leipzig in 2021, Konate has spent five years at Anfield, growing into a defender courted across Europe. On a free transfer, he will not lack suitors. Real Madrid and PSG have already been linked, and others will join the queue for a 25-year-old with Champions League pedigree and Premier League experience.

Liverpool, though, know exactly what they stand to lose: a powerful, front-foot defender entering his peak, already embedded in the club’s culture, already speaking like a leader.

For now, the most public plea has not come from the boardroom or the manager’s office, but from a teammate scrolling through his phone, watching the story unfold from the treatment room.

“Sign, brother.”

If Konate doesn’t, Liverpool’s rebuild under Slot starts with a hole right at the heart of their defence.