Real Madrid are planning to make a bid for Ibrahima Konate in the January transfer window and put Liverpool in a conundrum, according to a report in Spain, as TEAMtalk analyses why the details of the potential offer should not be a surprise.
Konate is out of contract at Liverpool at the end of the season, and Madrid’s long-term plan has been to sign the France international central defender on a free transfer in the summer of 2026, just as with Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Real Madrid had a deal in place with Trent Alexander-Arnold to sign him as a free agent in the summer of 2025, with the Spanish and European giants paying Liverpool a fee of €10million (£8.7m, $11.7m) so that they could get him out of his contract early to play him at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Konate has already turned down three offers of a new contract with Liverpool, with reports in Spain claiming that the defender already has a ‘preliminary agreement’ with Madrid over a 2026 summer move.
The Daily Mail’s Lewis Steele has reported that Real Madrid believe that they are close to reaching a ‘verbal agreement’ with Konate.
There have already been reports that Liverpool could cash in on Konate in January if he does not sign a new deal by then.
While Liverpool manager Arne Slot would love to keep Konate until the end of the season, the defending Premier League champions’ hierarchy, including sporting director Richard Hughes, may consider selling the defender in January to get a decent fee.
E-Noticies has now revealed that Madrid are indeed planning to raid Liverpool for Konate in the January transfer window.
The report in the Spanish news outlet, written by journalist Miquel Blázquez with over 225,000 followers on X, has reported that Madrid ‘are going all out for Ibrahima Konate’ and ‘are planning to offer €40million (£34.6m, $47.1m) in the upcoming winter transfer window’.
‘Liverpool could accept’ the enticing offer for the 26-year-old, especially as the defending Premier League champions do not want to lose him on a free next summer.
The report claims that Madrid attacking midfielder Arda Guler has spoken to Konate about a move to Santiago Bernabeu, with the Turkish international endorsing the potential signing by Los Blancos.
This follows a report in the same news outlet that claimed that Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni spoke to Konate when they were together in the France camp and convinced the Liverpool defender to move to Madrid.
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Could Real Madrid bid €40m for Ibrahima Konate?
A sum of €40million (£34.6m, $47.1m) in the January transfer window for a player who will become a free agent in the summer is a lot of money.
From a business perspective, it would make more sense for Real Madrid to agree on a pre-contract with Konate in January with a view to snapping him up as a free agent in the summer of 2026.
However, Madrid have had injury problems in defence already, and it would make sense for Los Blancos – from a sporting point of view – to splash the cash in the middle of the season.
After all, under manager Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid are aiming to win LaLiga and the Champions League this season.
Dean Huijsen, Raul Asencio, Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba are the five main centre-back options for Alonso at the moment.
Rudiger, 32, suffered a thigh injury in training and will be out until December at least.
Alaba is back to full fitness, but the former Bayern Munich defender is prone to injuries himself and is 33 years of age.
Militao has struggled with injuries in the past, while Asencio’s performances have not been too inspiring.
Against Real Sociedad at Estadio Municipal de Anoeta in LaLiga last weekend, when Huijsen got sent off in the 32nd minute, Tchouameni moved from midfield to defence.
Tchouameni is a midfielder by trade, but the France international centre-back played as a centre-back 25 times under then-Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti last season.
However, Tchouameni does not want to play as a centre-back for Los Blancos, with the Frenchman often booed by the Santiago Bernabeu faithful, especially in the first half of last season.
Madrid have long wanted to sign Konate as a free agent next summer, but injury issues could force Los Blancos to move the timeline ahead.
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