Real Madrid has already recruited Dean Huijsen, but it is not excluded that another central defender is joining the club this summer. And if that is the case, it would certainly be Ibrahima Konaté.
Konaté is the main target of Real Madrid as central defender, and everything suggests that he will arrive either this summer at a reduced price, or in 2026 as a free agent. His contract with Liverpool expires at the end of next season, and so far, no agreement has been reached for a new contract.
According to some information, Konaté would like to join Real Madrid and therefore do not intend to sign a new contract with Liverpool. But the Premier League champions do not lose hope, and the team (via GFFN) reported that they were going to fight against the Merengues to win the bet.
2025 Icon Sport50M € or nothing: the mad ultimatum of Liverpool for Konaté
In Liverpool, there is already a certain animosity towards Real Madrid due to the Trent Alexander-Arnold case, who saw the English international leave Anfield for the Santiago Bernabeu after refusing to sign a contract. Konate could now follow in the footsteps of her former teammate.
An agreement is unlikely this summer
Konate's situation is expected to be settled next summer. Liverpool would accept offers of 50 million euros to let him go now, provided that he does not seem willing to extend his stay in the Merseyside. However, Real Madrid is not ready to approach this amount, its limit being set at 20-25 million euros, because it is convinced that the French international will join him in 2026.
It remains to be seen how the situation will evolve with Konate. Real Madrid will feel confident after the Saga Trent, but this strategy turned against him during the same period with Alphonso Davies, who signed a new contract with Bayern Munich when he seemed to join the Spanish capital.
