Two days ago, Marca reported Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konaté has to make the final decision over his future. They also stated it’s possible for him to join Real Madrid this summer.
The centre-back is on the front page of today’s AS, along with Benfica’s Álvaro Carreras, with ‘Transfers for rescue’ written in bold.
With regards to the Liverpool player, it’s claimed he could join Real Madrid in this window.
Konaté has a year left on his contract and Real Madrid have identified him as the priority target for 2026.
AS now state the 26-year-old is a ‘real option for now’ for the La Liga side, meaning in this window. They can still look to strengthen the centre-back position after signing Dean Huijsen.
David Alaba seems to be on his way out of Real Madrid, and they are concerns about Éder Militão’s fitness, after suffering two serious injuries. Therefore, Los Blancos are internally considering signing a new player in that position.
The France international’s is the main target and dreams of joining the Spanish club. AS say he has no plans to sign an extension at Anfield and Liverpool are well aware of this.
Arne Slot’s side won’t try to convince the defender to change his mind and instead, look for a sale in this window, to avoid losing him for free in 2026. The Merseyside club’s officials have started work to try and cash in from his sale.
AS state: ‘The [Real Madrid’s] roadmap [for Konaté] was set for 2026. By then, Alaba would be free, and Rüdiger’s future would be assessed. But a move this summer isn’t ruled out, even if the current situation makes the possibility a pipe dream.’
Transfermarkt currently values Konaté at €60m, while Liverpool value him at €50m. AS add Real Madrid have no plans to offer more than €20-25m this summer.
Time is on Real Madrid and Konaté’s side and they will sign him for free next summer if a deal doesn’t materialise this summer.
