Real Madrid have already signed Dean Huijsen, but it cannot be ruled out that another central defender joins this summer. And if one does arrive, it would almost certainly be Ibrahima Konate.
Konate is Real Madrid’s leading centre-back target, and the belief is that he will either arrive this summer for a reduced price, or in 2026 as a free agent. His Liverpool contract expires at the end of the upcoming season, and so far, an agreement on a new deal is nowhere close to being reached.
It’s been reported that Konate wants to join Real Madrid, and thus is not planning to sign a new contract with Liverpool. But the Premier League champions are not giving up hope, and L’Equipe (via GFFN) have reported that they will go toe-to-toe with Los Blancos in their bid to come out on top.
At Liverpool, there is already ill-feelings towards Real Madrid due to the Trent Alexander-Arnold saga, which saw the England international swap Anfield for the Santiago Bernabeu after refusing to sign a contract himself. And Konate could now follow in the footsteps of his former teammate.
A deal is unlikely to happen this summer
It’s expected that the situation with Konate will come down to next summer. Liverpool would accept offers of €50m to let him leave now, provided that he does not appear willing to extend his stay on Merseyside. However, Real Madrid are not prepared to get close to this amount, with their cut-off being €20-25m, given that they fully believe the France international will join in 2026.
It remains to be seen how the situation plays out with Konate. Real Madrid will feel confident after the Trent saga, but this strategy backfired during the same period with Alphonso Davies, who signed a new contract with Bayern Munich having previously looked destined to make the move to the Spanish capital.
/https%3A%2F%2Fsportsmole-media-prod.s3.gra.io.cloud.ovh.net%2F25%2F09%2Fronald-araujo-barcelona_1.jpg?w=120&resize=120,86&ssl=1 "Barcelona ‘negotiating’ with Liverpool for £35m")
