Jamie Carragher insists Liverpool “will be absolutely fine” if Ibrahima Konate chooses to join Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer.

The France international is yet to sign a new contract at Anfield, despite his deal running out at the end of June, with reports suggesting that he could be holding out for a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Konate has been underperforming for much of the early part of the season but put in a brilliant display as Liverpoolbeat Real Madrid 1-0 in the Champions League in midweek.

The Frenchman has been blamed for a number of goals this term and Carragher reckons Liverpool will be just fine if Konate decides he wants to pursue a move in a similar manner to Trent Alexander-Arnold last summer.

Carragher told the Daily Mail: “I’d like him to stay but if he doesn’t stay, Liverpool will sign someone else. Liverpool won’t fall apart if Konate leaves.

“He’s not?Virgil van Dijk. He’s a good centre-back who you hope will sign, but if he doesn’t want to sign, Liverpool will be absolutely fine.

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“He’s a very good centre-back, he’s a title winner at Liverpool, he’s played in the Champions League final against Real Madrid. He’s obviously a quality centre-back.

“It’s not poor management [if he goes for free]. You can’t physically make somebody sign a contract. Then it’s your decision, do you keep him to the length of his contract or do you sell him?”

Liverpool missed out on signing Marc Guehi in the summer window with Crystal Palace pulling the plug on a deal for the centre-back at the last minute, while new signing Giovanni Leoni has already picked up a serious injury.

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That means that competition is limited for Konate but Carragher has urged the Liverpool defender to show more consistency for the rest of the season.

Carragher added: “It’s still only a couple of games. He hasn’t had a great start to the season and he needs to show a bit more consistency.

“He was fantastic against?Real Madrid?and he needs to keep that going over the next few months, it can’t just be two games on the bounce.

“There’s no secrets [to picking up your form]. It’s about working harder and you become more professional. It’s on your mind constantly that you want to get back into good form and every you think tiny detail will make a difference, whether that’s what you eat, what time you go to sleep, it’s just becoming an ultra-professional on and off the pitch.”

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