By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: 10:35 BST, 18 June 2026 | Updated: 10:35 BST, 18 June 2026
MADRID (AP) - Real Madrid says it has reached a deal with Ibrahima Konaté to sign the France defender to a four-year contract.
The Spanish powerhouse announced the deal on Thursday while the central defender is with his national team at the World Cup.
Konaté was a free agent after his deal with Liverpool expired.
The 27-year-old Konaté joined Liverpool in 2021 from Leipzig. He helped it win the Premier League in 2025 and the FA Cup in 2022.
His contract was a campaign promise of Florentino Pérez before he was re-elected as Madrid club president this month.
Konaté did not leave the bench in [France's 3-1 win over Senegal](https://apnews.com/article/france-senegal-score-world-cup-4e7efa9c28339e91437c08334978add9) to open their World Cup campaign on Tuesday.
France's Ibrahima Konate exercises during a training session during the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, at the France base camp in Waltham, Mass., near Boston, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
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AP soccer: [https://apnews.com/hub/soccer](https://apnews.com/hub/soccer)
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