A club like Real Madrid lives in the present transfer market, but it also plans for the future in order to apply Florentino Pérez’s new favorite formula, which he already used with Kylian Mbappé and this summer with right back Trent Alexander-Arnold. Set your sights on players who are in the last year of their contract and negotiate with them so that they can arrive without a transfer fee. The Whites are once again looking to Liverpool for center back Ibrahima Konaté.
Konaté and his renewal with Liverpool
Ibrahima Konaté is about to start his final year of his contract on July 1 and is a player who is very popular at Real Madrid to strengthen the defense. The Whites are following him very closely as he will be a free transfer. That is, no transfer fee will be paid. There will undoubtedly be costs in the form of a signing bonus.
The player’s situation is ideal for Madrid to make a move, and in the last few hours, news has emerged that greatly benefits the team. Ibrahima Konaté has rejected Liverpool’s contract renewal offer, according to The Guardian. Apparently, the French player has been disappointed by the club’s proposal and could be rethinking his future in England.
“Konaté is disappointed with Liverpool’s contract renewal offer and is now stuck in negotiations. Liverpool are starting to fear that he will do the same as Alexander-Arnold and leave for free in 2026,” the source said. The scenario is ideal for the Whites to start taking steps in this direction.
The 26-year-old center back arrived at Liverpool from RB Leipzig for €40 million in 2021. Last season, he started 31 times in the Premier League and seven times in the Champions League.
The need for a center back
The signing of a center back is a rumor that is very active at Real Madrid for several reasons. This season, Eder Militao, Rüdiger, and Alaba have all suffered complicated injuries, and it remains to be seen how they recover and what level they reach. In addition, Rüdiger and Alaba’s contracts expire next summer. For this reason, Real Madrid has a couple of players on its agenda: the aforementioned Konaté and Christian Mosquera, who plays for Valencia.
The departure of both players has been discussed this summer. In Rüdiger’s case, there were rumours of interest from Saudi Arabia, but the German never considered leaving Real Madrid. For the moment, neither the player nor the club have made a decision regarding next summer. The decision of both will surely depend on the player’s level and feelings after months of playing with unspeakable pain in his knees. If his level is low, the team will opt not to renew, and if the player does not see himself at his best, he will also prefer to move to a less demanding league.
The one who seems more certain to leave Real Madrid is David Alaba. The club has already opened the door for him this summer due to his lack of playing time this season, a situation that is not expected to change with the arrival of Huijsen. The club sees him as a player with a salary that is too high for the amount of minutes he plays. The player’s initial idea is to fulfill his contract, and the club will not force him to leave.