Liverpool news: Van Dijk makes public appeal for "world-class level" partner to stay

In the final six months of his Liverpool contract, Ibrahima Konate is going through a period of uncertainty about his future at the club. The 26-year-old centre-back finds himself in a similar situation to Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah last season.

During the last window, the Frenchman's name was constantly linked with giants such as Bayern Munich and, most notably, Real Madrid. With his defensive partner's future up in the air, Van Dijk has come out in defence of the player staying, praising his teammate's level.

Van Dijk makes public plea for Konate

"Obviously, I want him to stay. He is an important figure on the pitch, as everyone can see, but also off it. He is one of the leaders and an exceptional centre-back, in my opinion, of world-class level," the Reds captain told The Times.

Van Dijk also commented on whether he could have any influence on Konate staying at Liverpool. Van Dijk explained that he has been talking to the Frenchman, but that "it is never as easy as us just being able to say: 'Let's sort this out quickly.'"

"So, I can only do so much, but it is in the hands of the club, along with his agents and himself, so let's see what happens. But I do not have any other influence on it," the Dutchman said.

Indeed, it is still difficult to predict whether the Anfield club will fight to keep Konate. What is certain is that the club is already thinking about the future of their defensive department and showed this by signing young Jeremy Jacquet for around £60m during the January transfer window.

Following Liverpool's hard-fought victory over Sunderland on Wednesday, head coach Arne Slot praised Konate's performance in the match and said he was not surprised by the player's potential.

"[I am] impressed, but not surprised. I think he is an example of how our season has been. He has been very unlucky, really unlucky. Sometimes he plays 89 minutes very well and then, in one moment, he just ruins our game and his," the manager highlighted.

Van Dijk backs Slot's call for near-perfection

Van Dijk agreed with Slot's assertion that Liverpool need to be close to perfection for the rest of the season and must be in next season's Champions League. With the victory, the team moved to within just three points of fourth-placed Manchester United.

"We definitely need a bit of perfection. We are not yet where we want to be and that is down to us, but games like the one against Sunderland show we are on the right track, but we have to keep going and not give up after one or two matches," the captain said.

Despite the difficult moment in the competition, still dreaming of a Champions League spot for next season, the manager said the plan is to focus on each game individually.

"I trust my team and it is up to us to show that every three or four days. We want to continue. It is another opportunity on Saturday [against Brighton in the fourth round of the FA Cup], in a different competition, to hopefully progress and go further," Slot concluded.