Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konaté is leaving Liverpool on a free transfer after five years on Merseyside, the club confirmed on Sunday.
The news has come as a surprise to many Liverpool supporters, given that the France international told reporters in April that there was a "big chance" he would remain at the club.
As it happens, Konaté becomes the latest in a long line of established players to leave Anfield for free...
The Liverpool players who left for free
Under owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool have shown a willingness to let some of their biggest stars run down their contracts, rather than offer a wage they deem to be excessive.
In Konaté and Andy Robertson, Arne Slot's side are losing two stalwarts of last season's title-winning side at the end of their deals, alongside Mohamed Salah, who agreed to terminate his contract a year early.
They depart the club a year after Trent Alexander-Arnold joined Real Madrid for €10 million ($12m), a fee which allowed the right back to join the Spanish club in time for the Club World Cup, shortly before his Liverpool deal was due to expire.
Going further back, the likes of Roberto Firmino, Georginio Wijnaldum and Emre Can have all also left without Liverpool receiving a fee.
With captain Virgil van Dijk and goalkeeper Alisson's deals due to expire next summer, that trend could be set to continue.
Behind-the-scenes churn at Liverpool
After a long period of stability under manager Jürgen Klopp and then-sporting director Michael Edwards came to an end with the departure of the latter in 2022, there has been a fair bit of churn behind the scenes at Liverpool.
Julian Ward took over from Edwards but left after just a year. He was replaced by Jörg Schmadtke, whose interim role ended when Klopp left the club in 2024.
Since then, Edwards and Ward have returned and Richard Hughes has been appointed as the latest sporting director.
Slot was sacked as head coach on Saturday, while Edwards and Hughes each have one year remaining on their contracts.
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However, there also appears to have been a preference at the club towards keeping players until the end of their deals rather than shipping them out a year early for a small fee and losing out on another season of good performances.
Liverpool executives would likely point to the fact that the likes of Firmino and Wijnaldum have failed to continue at the level they played at during their respective last seasons on Merseyside.
Of all the free departures, arguably only Can has improved since leaving the club -- although Alexander-Arnold's second season may well change that should he stay injury-free.
In an age of increasing player power, it is also possible to view events at Liverpool as part of a wider trend -- some of the most high-profile deals in recent memory, such as Kylian Mbappé's move to Real Madrid, have been free transfers.
Does it affect their spending?
Despite losing Alexander-Arnold for a nominal fee last summer, Liverpool could still afford a net spend of over £200 million ($268m) on the likes of Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike.
Success in the Premier League and consistent Champions League qualification has helped Liverpool to fourth place in the Forbes rich list, announced on Friday, behind only Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United.
Liverpool have again secured Champions League football and now removed Salah -- their highest earner -- from the wage bill.