Liverpool are worried that Ibrahima Konate could follow in the footsteps of Trent Alexander-Arnold and join Real Madrid on a free transfer, according to a Spanish report, while another source has revealed the deadline that the Reds have been given to the defender to sign a new deal.
Konate is one of the best players at Liverpool and was in fine form in the 2024/25 campaign. The France international centre-back established himself as one of the first names on Arne Slot’s teamsheet and played a key role in Liverpool winning the Premier League title.
However, Liverpool are facing a real threat of losing Konate, who was described as “top class” by former Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club in October 2024.
Konate is out of contract at Liverpool at the end of next season, with Madrid keen on snapping him up on a free transfer next summer.
Although Madrid eventually had to pay Liverpool £8.5million to get Alexander-Arnold out of contract early so that he could play at the FIFA Club World Cup, the fact of the matter is that the Spanish giants already had a deal in place with the England international right-back to sign him as a free agent.
According to Defensa Central, ‘there are already pessimistic voices within Anfield who maintain that Real Madrid will land Ibrahima Konate in the same way they did with Trent Alexander-Arnold’.
The Real Madrid-centric website has even claimed that ‘some within’ Liverpool ‘maintain’ that it would be a good idea to sell Konate for €50million (£42.6m, $57.7m) or €60million (£51m, $69.3m)
Those at the Premier League champions are of the view that such a move would allow Liverpool to sign a quality replacement for Konate instead.
Defensa Central has noted that Madrid, who have made a decision on Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, want Konate as a replacement for David Alaba.
Alaba has had injury problems in recent times and is out of contract at Madrid in the summer of 2026.
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Liverpool set Ibrahima Konate contract talks deadline – report
While Madrid have identified Konate as a viable target for the summer of 2026, according to Football Insider, Los Blancos could get the chance to sign the Frenchman this summer.
The report has claimed that Liverpool want to resolve Konate’s future as soon as possible and do not want to wait until January 2026 for an answer.
While Konate is still viewed as a key player at Liverpool, the Anfield chiefs have set ‘a final’ deadline ‘for the end of this summer window’ for talks to be concluded.
Football Insider has added that ‘Konate could leave Liverpool in the coming weeks as contract talks between player and club face potential collapse’.
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